Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommufd: Fix race during...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
iommufd: Fix race during abort for file descriptors
fput() doesn't actually call file_operations release() synchronously, it
puts the file on a work queue and it will be released eventually.
This is normally fine, except for iommufd the file and the iommufd_object
are tied to gether. The file has the object as it's private_data and holds
a users refcount, while the object is expected to remain alive as long as
the file is.
When the allocation of a new object aborts before installing the file it
will fput() the file and then go on to immediately kfree() the obj. This
causes a UAF once the workqueue completes the fput() and tries to
decrement the users refcount.
Fix this by putting the core code in charge of the file lifetime, and call
__fput_sync() during abort to ensure that release() is called before
kfree. __fput_sync() is a bit too tricky to open code in all the object
implementations. Instead the objects tell the core code where the file
pointer is and the core will take care of the life cycle.
If the object is successfully allocated then the file will hold a users
refcount and the iommufd_object cannot be destroyed.
It is worth noting that close(); ioctl(IOMMU_DESTROY); doesn't have an
issue because close() is already using a synchronous version of fput().
The UAF looks like this:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in iommufd_eventq_fops_release+0x45/0xc0 drivers/iommu/iommufd/eventq.c:376
Write of size 4 at addr ffff888059c97804 by task syz.0.46/6164
CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 6164 Comm: syz.0.46 Not tainted syzkaller #0 PREEMPT(full)
Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 08/18/2025
Call Trace:
<TASK>
__dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:94 [inline]
dump_stack_lvl+0x116/0x1f0 lib/dump_stack.c:120
print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:378 [inline]
print_report+0xcd/0x630 mm/kasan/report.c:482
kasan_report+0xe0/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:595
check_region_inline mm/kasan/generic.c:183 [inline]
kasan_check_range+0x100/0x1b0 mm/kasan/generic.c:189
instrument_atomic_read_write include/linux/instrumented.h:96 [inline]
atomic_fetch_sub_release include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:400 [inline]
__refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:455 [inline]
refcount_dec include/linux/refcount.h:476 [inline]
iommufd_eventq_fops_release+0x45/0xc0 drivers/iommu/iommufd/eventq.c:376
__fput+0x402/0xb70 fs/file_table.c:468
task_work_run+0x14d/0x240 kernel/task_work.c:227
resume_user_mode_work include/linux/resume_user_mode.h:50 [inline]
exit_to_user_mode_loop+0xeb/0x110 kernel/entry/common.c:43
exit_to_user_mode_prepare include/linux/irq-entry-common.h:225 [inline]
syscall_exit_to_user_mode_work include/linux/entry-common.h:175 [inline]
syscall_exit_to_user_mode include/linux/entry-common.h:210 [inline]
do_syscall_64+0x41c/0x4c0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:100
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
Impact
Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing. Typical impact: TOCTOU exploits, data corruption, or privilege escalation.
CVE-2025-39966 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-39966? CVE-2025-39966 is a medium-severity race condition vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. Multiple concurrent operations access a shared resource without proper synchronization, producing unpredictable results depending on timing.
- How severe is CVE-2025-39966? CVE-2025-39966 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-39966? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-39966 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-39966 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-39966 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-39966 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.