Kernel memory access via stale validation node
Published Nov 12, 2025 · Updated Nov 12, 2025
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel vmwgfx driver allows local users to trigger stale validation-node access during command processing. vmw_validation_add_resource inserts an arena-allocated node into the duplicates hash table but, when its resource is already doomed, returns without removing the node; the arena is later cleared while the hash entry remains. Low-privileged local access is required, and public sources do not establish whether exploitation produces a crash, data access, or code execution.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel vmwgfx driver allows local users to trigger stale validation-node access during command processing. vmw_validation_add_resource inserts an arena-allocated node into the duplicates hash table but, when its resource is already doomed, returns without removing the node; the arena is later cleared while the hash entry remains. Low-privileged local access is required, and public sources do not establish whether exploitation produces a crash, data access, or code execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40111
- Published
- Nov 12, 2025
- Updated
- Nov 12, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- Unavailable
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Nov 12, 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=4.20
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <1822e5287b7dfa59d0af966756ebf1dc652b60ee
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <4c918f9d1ccccc0e092f43dcb2d8266f54d7340b
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <655a2f29bfc21105c80bf8a7d7aafa6eca8b4496
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <65608e991c2d771c13404e5c7ae122ac3c3357a4
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <867bda5d95d36f10da398fd4409e21c7002b2332
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <9a8eaca539708ca532747f606d231f70e684e8ca
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <dfe1323ab3c8a4dd5625ebfdba44dc47df84512a
- Affected versionversion=64ad2abfe9a628ce79859d072704bd1ef7682044 <fb7165e5f3b3b10721ff70553583ad12e90e447a
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
No sourced classifications are available.
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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