Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: ensure no dirty...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
btrfs: ensure no dirty metadata is written back for an fs with errors
[BUG]
During development of a minor feature (make sure all btrfs_bio::end_io()
is called in task context), I noticed a crash in generic/388, where
metadata writes triggered new works after btrfs_stop_all_workers().
It turns out that it can even happen without any code modification, just
using RAID5 for metadata and the same workload from generic/388 is going
to trigger the use-after-free.
[CAUSE]
If btrfs hits an error, the fs is marked as error, no new
transaction is allowed thus metadata is in a frozen state.
But there are some metadata modifications before that error, and they are
still in the btree inode page cache.
Since there will be no real transaction commit, all those dirty folios
are just kept as is in the page cache, and they can not be invalidated
by invalidate_inode_pages2() call inside close_ctree(), because they are
dirty.
And finally after btrfs_stop_all_workers(), we call iput() on btree
inode, which triggers writeback of those dirty metadata.
And if the fs is using RAID56 metadata, this will trigger RMW and queue
new works into rmw_workers, which is already stopped, causing warning
from queue_work() and use-after-free.
[FIX]
Add a special handling for write_one_eb(), that if the fs is already in
an error state, immediately mark the bbio as failure, instead of really
submitting them.
Then during close_ctree(), iput() will just discard all those dirty
tree blocks without really writing them back, thus no more new jobs for
already stopped-and-freed workqueues.
The extra discard in write_one_eb() also acts as an extra safenet.
E.g. the transaction abort is triggered by some extent/free space
tree corruptions, and since extent/free space tree is already corrupted
some tree blocks may be allocated where they shouldn't be (overwriting
existing tree blocks). In that case writing them back will further
corrupting the fs.
Impact
CVE-2025-40303 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-2025-40303? CVE-2025-40303 is a high-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-40303? CVE-2025-40303 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-2025-40303? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-40303 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-40303 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-40303 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-2025-40303 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.