I/O hang via sched-tag allocation during queue freeze
Published Nov 12, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Deadlock in Linux kernel 3.16 through 6.17.2 allows local users to hang block I/O by growing a device's nr_requests value. The queue_requests_store path allocates or frees scheduler tags while the request queue is frozen, allowing memory reclaim to reenter block I/O and deadlock. Write access to the sysfs queue-depth control is the gate, and a successful trigger stalls block-device I/O without reported data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Deadlock in Linux kernel 3.16 through 6.17.2 allows local users to hang block I/O by growing a device's nr_requests value. The queue_requests_store path allocates or frees scheduler tags while the request queue is frozen, allowing memory reclaim to reenter block I/O and deadlock. Write access to the sysfs queue-depth control is the gate, and a successful trigger stalls block-device I/O without reported data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40146
- Published
- Nov 12, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 12, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record 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=3.16
- Affected versionversion=e3a2b3f931f59d5284abd13faf8bded726884ffd <8d26acf8477174d8ef690eb6affe13a630f586ae
- Affected versionversion=e3a2b3f931f59d5284abd13faf8bded726884ffd <b86433721f46d934940528f28d49c1dedb690df1
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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