CVE-2025-40048
Description
From CVE.org
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: uio_hv_generic: Let userspace take care of interrupt mask Remove the logic to set interrupt mask by default in uio_hv_generic driver as the interrupt mask value is supposed to be controlled completely by the user space. If the mask bit gets changed by the driver, concurrently with user mode operating on the ring, the mask bit may be set when it is supposed to be clear, and the user-mode driver will miss an interrupt which will cause a hang. For eg- when the driver sets inbound ring buffer interrupt mask to 1, the host does not interrupt the guest on the UIO VMBus channel. However, setting the mask does not prevent the host from putting a message in the inbound ring buffer. So let’s assume that happens, the host puts a message into the ring buffer but does not interrupt. Subsequently, the user space code in the guest sets the inbound ring buffer interrupt mask to 0, saying “Hey, I’m ready for interrupts”. User space code then calls pread() to wait for an interrupt. Then one of two things happens: * The host never sends another message. So the pread() waits forever. * The host does send another message. But because there’s already a message in the ring buffer, it doesn’t generate an interrupt. This is the correct behavior, because the host should only send an interrupt when the inbound ring buffer transitions from empty to not-empty. Adding an additional message to a ring buffer that is not empty is not supposed to generate an interrupt on the guest. Since the guest is waiting in pread() and not removing messages from the ring buffer, the pread() waits forever. This could be easily reproduced in hv_fcopy_uio_daemon if we delay setting interrupt mask to 0. Similarly if hv_uio_channel_cb() sets the interrupt_mask to 1, there’s a race condition. Once user space empties the inbound ring buffer, but before user space sets interrupt_mask to 0, the host could put another message in the ring buffer but it wouldn’t interrupt. Then the next pread() would hang. Fix these by removing all instances where interrupt_mask is changed, while keeping the one in set_event() unchanged to enable userspace control the interrupt mask by writing 0/1 to /dev/uioX.
Statement
The uio_hv_generic driver raced userspace by unilaterally toggling the ring’s interrupt_mask. If the kernel set the mask while userspace was operating on the ring, an inbound message could arrive without an interrupt, and subsequent pread() would block indefinitely since no “empty→non-empty” transition occurs. This affects the guest only and can be triggered only by a local user with access to the guest’s UIO channel (e.g. /dev/uioX) — access which is not granted to ordinary users by default.
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 | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | N/A | Network |
| Attack Complexity | Low | N/A | Low |
| Privileges Required | None | N/A | None |
| User Interaction | None | N/A | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | N/A | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | None | N/A | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | N/A | None |
| Availability Impact | High | N/A | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Resource Consumption (Other)
When a race condition makes it possible to bypass a resource cleanup routine or trigger multiple initialization routines, it may lead to resource exhaustion.
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Instability
When a race condition allows multiple control flows to access a resource simultaneously, it might lead the product(s) into unexpected states, possibly resulting in a crash.
Confidentiality,Integrity
Technical Impact: Read Files or Directories; Read Application Data
When a race condition is combined with predictable resource names and loose permissions, it may be possible for an attacker to overwrite or access confidential data (CWE-59).
Access Control
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Gain Privileges or Assume Identity; Bypass Protection Mechanism
This can have security implications when the expected synchronization is in security-critical code, such as recording whether a user is authenticated or modifying important state information that should not be influenced by an outsider.
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