Local service interruption via PPS double free
Published Oct 28, 2025 · Updated Oct 28, 2025
Double free in the Linux kernel PPS subsystem allows local users to interrupt service by forcing PPS device registration to fail. pps_register_source() frees the PPS object after pps_register_cdev() has already released it when device_register() fails because the release hook was installed too late. Local low-privileged access is required, and the documented consequence is availability loss rather than data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Double free in the Linux kernel PPS subsystem allows local users to interrupt service by forcing PPS device registration to fail. pps_register_source() frees the PPS object after pps_register_cdev() has already released it when device_register() fails because the release hook was installed too late. Local low-privileged access is required, and the documented consequence is availability loss rather than data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40070
- Published
- Oct 28, 2025
- Updated
- Oct 28, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
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=1a7735ab2cb9747518a7416fb5929e85442dec62
- Affected versionversion=6.14
- Affected versionversion=785c78ed0d39d1717cca3ef931d3e51337b5e90e
- Affected versionversion=7e5ee3281dc09014367f5112b6d566ba36ea2d49 <f01fa3588e0b3cb1540f56d2c6bd99e5b3810234
- Affected versionversion=85241f7de216f8298f6e48540ea13d7dcd100870
- Affected versionversion=91932db1d96b2952299ce30c1c693d834d10ace6 <4cbd7450a22c5ee4842fc4175ad06c0c82ea53a8
- Affected versionversion=c4041b6b0a7a3def8cf3f3d6120ff337bc4c40f7 <125527db41805693208ee1aacd7f3ffe6a3a489c
- Affected versionversion=c79a39dc8d060b9e64e8b0fa9d245d44befeefbe <0f97564a1fb62f34b3b498e2f12caffbe99c004a
- Affected versionversion=c79a39dc8d060b9e64e8b0fa9d245d44befeefbe <b0531cdba5029f897da5156815e3bdafe1e9b88d
- Affected versionversion=cd3bbcb6b3a7caa5ce67de76723b6d8531fb7f64 <cf71834a0cfc394c72d62fd6dbb470ee13cf8f5e
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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