Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/proc/task_mmu: check p-...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL
When the PAGEMAP_SCAN ioctl is invoked with vec_len = 0 reaches
pagemap_scan_backout_range(), kernel panics with null-ptr-deref:
[ 44.936808] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC KASAN NOPTI
[ 44.937797] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007]
[ 44.938391] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2480 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 6.17.0-rc6 #22 PREEMPT(none)
[ 44.939062] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[ 44.939935] RIP: 0010:pagemap_scan_thp_entry.isra.0+0x741/0xa80
<snip registers, unreliable trace>
[ 44.946828] Call Trace:
[ 44.947030]
[ 44.949219] pagemap_scan_pmd_entry+0xec/0xfa0
[ 44.952593] walk_pmd_range.isra.0+0x302/0x910
[ 44.954069] walk_pud_range.isra.0+0x419/0x790
[ 44.954427] walk_p4d_range+0x41e/0x620
[ 44.954743] walk_pgd_range+0x31e/0x630
[ 44.955057] __walk_page_range+0x160/0x670
[ 44.956883] walk_page_range_mm+0x408/0x980
[ 44.958677] walk_page_range+0x66/0x90
[ 44.958984] do_pagemap_scan+0x28d/0x9c0
[ 44.961833] do_pagemap_cmd+0x59/0x80
[ 44.962484] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x18d/0x210
[ 44.962804] do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x290
[ 44.963111] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
vec_len = 0 in pagemap_scan_init_bounce_buffer() means no buffers are
allocated and p->vec_buf remains set to NULL.
This breaks an assumption made later in pagemap_scan_backout_range(), that
page_region is always allocated for p->vec_buf_index.
Fix it by explicitly checking p->vec_buf for NULL before dereferencing.
Other sites that might run into same deref-issue are already (directly or
transitively) protected by checking p->vec_buf.
Note:
From PAGEMAP_SCAN man page, it seems vec_len = 0 is valid when no output
is requested and it's only the side effects caller is interested in,
hence it passes check in pagemap_scan_get_args().
This issue was found by syzkaller.
Impact
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-2025-40009? CVE-2025-40009 is a unknown-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-40009? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-40009 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-40009 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-40009 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-2025-40009 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.