CVE-2025-22073

Resource exhaustion via unreleased negative SPUFS dentry

Published Apr 16, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026

Resource leak in Linux kernel SPUFS from 2.6.16 allows local users to exhaust kernel resources by triggering file-creation failures. When spufs_new_file() fails inside spufs_fill_dir(), cleanup removes successfully created entries but leaves the failed negative dentry referenced instead of explicitly dropping it. Exploitation requires write access to a mounted SPU filesystem on a PowerPC Cell system; repeated failures consume resources, while the upstream record does not identify the terminal interruption mode.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.23%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Resource leak in Linux kernel SPUFS from 2.6.16 allows local users to exhaust kernel resources by triggering file-creation failures. When spufs_new_file() fails inside spufs_fill_dir(), cleanup removes successfully created entries but leaves the failed negative dentry referenced instead of explicitly dropping it. Exploitation requires write access to a mounted SPU filesystem on a PowerPC Cell system; repeated failures consume resources, while the upstream record does not identify the terminal interruption mode.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-22073
Published
Apr 16, 2025
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Apr 16, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=2.6.16
  2. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <0bd56e4e72c354b65c0a7e5ac1c09eca81949d5b
  3. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <132925bd6772d7614340fb755ac5415462ac8edd
  4. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <35f789ccebd69f6f9a1e0a9b85435003b2450065
  5. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <53b189651c33b5f1fb3b755e6a37a8206978514e
  6. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <90d1b276d1b1379d20ad27d1f6349ba9f44a2e00
  7. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <96de7fbdc2dcadeebc17c3cb89e7cdab487bfce0
  8. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <b1eef06d10c1a9848e3a762919bbbe315a0a7cb4
  9. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <d1ca8698ca1332625d83ea0d753747be66f9906d
  10. Affected versionversion=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <d791985ceeb081155b4e96d314ca54c7605dcbe0

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=2.6.16; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <0bd56e4e72c354b65c0a7e5ac1c09eca81949d5b; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <132925bd6772d7614340fb755ac5415462ac8edd; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <35f789ccebd69f6f9a1e0a9b85435003b2450065; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <53b189651c33b5f1fb3b755e6a37a8206978514e; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <90d1b276d1b1379d20ad27d1f6349ba9f44a2e00; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <96de7fbdc2dcadeebc17c3cb89e7cdab487bfce0; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <b1eef06d10c1a9848e3a762919bbbe315a0a7cb4; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <d1ca8698ca1332625d83ea0d753747be66f9906d; version=3f51dd91c80746a5cf76f8c4a77bfc88aa82bb9e <d791985ceeb081155b4e96d314ca54c7605dcbe0

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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