CVE-2025-40272
Description
A use-after-free race condition was found in the secretmem subsystem of the Linux kernel. When two tasks concurrently fault on the same page in a memfd_secret file, the losing task may free its folio before restoring the direct map entry. This allows the freed page to be reallocated while still unmapped, causing potential memory corruption.
Statement
Exploitation requires use of the memfd_secret() syscall with concurrent page faults. This feature is used for storing sensitive data like cryptographic keys. The race window is narrow but could be widened by an attacker.
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 | 5.8 | N/A | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Local |
| Attack Complexity | High | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | N/A | Low |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | N/A | High |
| Integrity Impact | Low | N/A | High |
| Availability Impact | Low | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:L/A:L
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability,Integrity
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
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