CVE-2025-40024

Local privilege escalation via stale vhost task reference

Published Oct 24, 2025 · Updated Oct 24, 2025

Use-after-free in Linux 6.4 and later affected release lines allows local users to escalate privileges through vhost device ioctls. vhost_task_create() retains a task_struct without taking its own reference, so signal-driven task exit frees the object before vhost_task_wake() accesses it. An ordinary local account must access a vhost device or /dev/kvm; exploitation can disclose kernel memory, corrupt scheduler state, or panic the host.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.14%
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 Linux 6.4 and later affected release lines allows local users to escalate privileges through vhost device ioctls. vhost_task_create() retains a task_struct without taking its own reference, so signal-driven task exit frees the object before vhost_task_wake() accesses it. An ordinary local account must access a vhost device or /dev/kvm; exploitation can disclose kernel memory, corrupt scheduler state, or panic the host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-40024
Published
Oct 24, 2025
Updated
Oct 24, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Oct 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Oct 24, 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=6.4
  2. Affected versionversion=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <7ce635b3d3aba43296b62b5a2d97c008bc51cbd2
  3. Affected versionversion=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <82a1463c968b1a6ae598a4f2fcef17b71bb7d3a0
  4. Affected versionversion=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <afe16653e05db07d658b55245c7a2e0603f136c0
  5. Affected versionversion=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <d2be773a92874a070215b51b730cb2b1eaa8fae2

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.4; version=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <7ce635b3d3aba43296b62b5a2d97c008bc51cbd2; version=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <82a1463c968b1a6ae598a4f2fcef17b71bb7d3a0; version=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <afe16653e05db07d658b55245c7a2e0603f136c0; version=f9010dbdce911ee1f1af1398a24b1f9f992e0080 <d2be773a92874a070215b51b730cb2b1eaa8fae2

Published CVSS scores

7.8Linux Kernel 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.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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