CVE-2025-40012

Kernel disclosure and corruption via unreferenced splice buffer

Published Oct 20, 2025 · Updated Oct 20, 2025

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel's SMC loopback receive path allows local users to disclose or corrupt kernel memory through splice(). The smc_lo_register_dmb() function allocates a DMB with kzalloc(), but smc_rx_splice() passes that non-page-backed memory to get_page(), leaving the pipe without a valid reference after the socket frees the buffer. An unprivileged process can drive both loopback AF_SMC endpoints without user interaction, enabling kernel-heap disclosure, memory corruption, privilege escalation, or a kernel panic.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.18%
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's SMC loopback receive path allows local users to disclose or corrupt kernel memory through splice(). The smc_lo_register_dmb() function allocates a DMB with kzalloc(), but smc_rx_splice() passes that non-page-backed memory to get_page(), leaving the pipe without a valid reference after the socket frees the buffer. An unprivileged process can drive both loopback AF_SMC endpoints without user interaction, enabling kernel-heap disclosure, memory corruption, privilege escalation, or a kernel panic.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-40012
Published
Oct 20, 2025
Updated
Oct 20, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 20, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 20, 2025Record 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=6.10
  2. Affected versionversion=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <14fc4fdae42e34d7ee871b292ac2ecc61c2c5de7
  3. Affected versionversion=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <a35c04de2565db191726b5741e6b66a35002c652
  4. Affected versionversion=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <d5411685dc2f6ac7bdf01a0a204d56cae38c6cf6

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.10; version=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <14fc4fdae42e34d7ee871b292ac2ecc61c2c5de7; version=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <a35c04de2565db191726b5741e6b66a35002c652; version=f7a22071dbf316c982fb44308874bd7ad9ac2091 <d5411685dc2f6ac7bdf01a0a204d56cae38c6cf6

Published CVSS scores

7.8Linux CNACVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/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 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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