CVE-2025-40147
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: blk-throttle: fix access race during throttle policy activation On repeated cold boots we occasionally hit a NULL pointer crash in blk_should_throtl() when throttling is consulted before the throttle policy is fully enabled for the queue. Checking only q->td != NULL is insufficient during early initialization, so blkg_to_pd() for the throttle policy can still return NULL and blkg_to_tg() becomes NULL, which later gets dereferenced. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000156 ... pc : submit_bio_noacct+0x14c/0x4c8 lr : submit_bio_noacct+0x48/0x4c8 sp : ffff800087f0b690 x29: ffff800087f0b690 x28: 0000000000005f90 x27: ffff00068af393c0 x26: 0000000000080000 x25: 000000000002fbc0 x24: ffff000684ddcc70 x23: 0000000000000000 x22: 0000000000000000 x21: 0000000000000000 x20: 0000000000080000 x19: ffff000684ddcd08 x18: ffffffffffffffff x17: 0000000000000000 x16: ffff80008132a550 x15: 0000ffff98020fff x14: 0000000000000000 x13: 1fffe000d11d7021 x12: ffff000688eb810c x11: ffff00077ec4bb80 x10: ffff000688dcb720 x9 : ffff80008068ef60 x8 : 00000a6fb8a86e85 x7 : 000000000000111e x6 : 0000000000000002 x5 : 0000000000000246 x4 : 0000000000015cff x3 : 0000000000394500 x2 : ffff000682e35e40 x1 : 0000000000364940 x0 : 000000000000001a Call trace: submit_bio_noacct+0x14c/0x4c8 verity_map+0x178/0x2c8 __map_bio+0x228/0x250 dm_submit_bio+0x1c4/0x678 __submit_bio+0x170/0x230 submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x16c/0x388 submit_bio_noacct+0x16c/0x4c8 submit_bio+0xb4/0x210 f2fs_submit_read_bio+0x4c/0xf0 f2fs_mpage_readpages+0x3b0/0x5f0 f2fs_readahead+0x90/0xe8 Tighten blk_throtl_activated() to also require that the throttle policy bit is set on the queue: return q->td != NULL && test_bit(blkcg_policy_throtl.plid, q->blkcg_pols); This prevents blk_should_throtl() from accessing throttle group state until policy data has been attached to blkgs.
Statement
A NULL pointer dereference in the block throttling path allowed the kernel to crash if blk_should_throtl() was invoked while the blk-throttle policy was only partially activated, so q->td was set but policy data was not fully attached and lookups returned NULL. A local actor who can trigger block I/O during or right after enabling blk-throttle (e.g. via cgroup configuration or during early boot on a throttled root device) could, in principle, cause a kernel panic, but exploitation requires a specific timing window and configuration.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.2 | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | N/A |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | N/A |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
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