Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm, swap: fix potential UAF...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm, swap: fix potential UAF issue for VMA readahead
Since commit 78524b05f1a3 ("mm, swap: avoid redundant swap device
pinning"), the common helper for allocating and preparing a folio in the
swap cache layer no longer tries to get a swap device reference
internally, because all callers of __read_swap_cache_async are already
holding a swap entry reference. The repeated swap device pinning isn't
needed on the same swap device.
Caller of VMA readahead is also holding a reference to the target entry's
swap device, but VMA readahead walks the page table, so it might encounter
swap entries from other devices, and call __read_swap_cache_async on
another device without holding a reference to it.
So it is possible to cause a UAF when swapoff of device A raced with
swapin on device B, and VMA readahead tries to read swap entries from
device A. It's not easy to trigger, but in theory, it could cause real
issues.
Make VMA readahead try to get the device reference first if the swap
device is a different one from the target entry.
Impact
CVE-2025-40270 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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-2025-40270? CVE-2025-40270 is a high-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-40270? CVE-2025-40270 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (High). 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-2025-40270? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-40270 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-40270 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-40270 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-2025-40270 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.