Local denial of service via NULL namespace dereference
Published Nov 12, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
NULL-pointer dereference in the listmount path of the Linux kernel allows local users to interrupt service through a crafted syscall. In fs/namespace.c, mnt_ns_release() unconditionally dereferences the namespace pointer to decrement its passive reference count even when listmount() supplies NULL. Reaching listmount() requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN in the caller's user namespace, and exploitation affects availability without documented data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
NULL-pointer dereference in the listmount path of the Linux kernel allows local users to interrupt service through a crafted syscall. In fs/namespace.c, mnt_ns_release() unconditionally dereferences the namespace pointer to decrement its passive reference count even when listmount() supplies NULL. Reaching listmount() requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN in the caller's user namespace, and exploitation affects availability without documented data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-40195
- Published
- Nov 12, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=1901c92497bd90caf608a474f1bf4d8795b372a2 <2d68f8a7379d9c61005e982600c61948d4d019bd
- Affected versionversion=1901c92497bd90caf608a474f1bf4d8795b372a2 <6c7ca6a02f8f9549a438a08a23c6327580ecf3d6
- Affected versionversion=1901c92497bd90caf608a474f1bf4d8795b372a2 <99ae3e70a293834d0274c46a37120c71a24a4995
- Affected versionversion=6.11
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo