Kernel crash via encrypted-page use-after-free
Published Oct 28, 2025 · Updated Oct 28, 2025
Use-after-free in Linux kernel F2FS allows local users to crash or hang the system through concurrent writes to an encrypted file. The f2fs_merge_page_bio() path retains fio->encrypted_page after adding its bounce page to the IPU bio cache, allowing write completion to free the page before f2fs_is_cp_guaranteed() dereferences it. Exploitation requires write access to an fscrypt-encrypted directory on a mounted F2FS volume; successful races panic the kernel or wedge filesystem synchronization.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel F2FS allows local users to crash or hang the system through concurrent writes to an encrypted file. The f2fs_merge_page_bio() path retains fio->encrypted_page after adding its bounce page to the IPU bio cache, allowing write completion to free the page before f2fs_is_cp_guaranteed() dereferences it. Exploitation requires write access to an fscrypt-encrypted directory on a mounted F2FS volume; successful races panic the kernel or wedge filesystem synchronization.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40054
- Published
- Oct 28, 2025
- Updated
- Oct 28, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Oct 28, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Oct 28, 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.
- Affected versionversion=0b20fcec8651569935a10afe03fedc0b812d044e <01118321e0c8a5f3ece57d0d377bfc92d83cd210
- Affected versionversion=0b20fcec8651569935a10afe03fedc0b812d044e <edf7e9040fc52c922db947f9c6c36f07377c52ea
- Affected versionversion=5.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Two-shell encrypted F2FS write reproducerfunctional · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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