CVE-2025-40000

Kernel corruption via scan-completion use-after-free

Published Oct 15, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel rtw89 Wi-Fi driver allows adjacent attackers to crash or corrupt the kernel via wireless traffic. A race lets completion-side processing free skb_data before the waiting thread clears its wait pointer, causing an eight-byte zero write through freed memory. Exploitation requires wireless proximity and an active rtw89 interface; repeated deauthentication and congestion can drive kernel panics or memory corruption.

CVSS severity8.8
High
EPSS probability0.27%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel rtw89 Wi-Fi driver allows adjacent attackers to crash or corrupt the kernel via wireless traffic. A race lets completion-side processing free skb_data before the waiting thread clears its wait pointer, causing an eight-byte zero write through freed memory. Exploitation requires wireless proximity and an active rtw89 interface; repeated deauthentication and congestion can drive kernel panics or memory corruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-40000
Published
Oct 15, 2025
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
adjacent
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 15, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 5, 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=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <3e31a6bc07312b448fad3b45de578471f86f0e77
  2. Affected versionversion=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <895cccf639ac015f3d5f993218cf098db82ac145
  3. Affected versionversion=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <bdb3c41b358cf87d99e39d393e164f9e4a6088e6
  4. Affected versionversion=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <f21f530b03b4b23448edb531a0cfea434cb76bb4
  5. Affected versionversion=6.4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectoradjacent
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <3e31a6bc07312b448fad3b45de578471f86f0e77; version=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <895cccf639ac015f3d5f993218cf098db82ac145; version=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <bdb3c41b358cf87d99e39d393e164f9e4a6088e6; version=1ae5ca615285d5d4f72d1de464716d85dffef19f <f21f530b03b4b23448edb531a0cfea434cb76bb4; version=6.4

Published CVSS scores

8.8Linux Kernel CVE TeamCVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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)
Vectoradjacent
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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