CVE-2025-40351Public exploit

Kernel panic via uninitialized HFS+ inode field

Published Dec 16, 2025 · Updated Dec 16, 2025

Uninitialized memory use in the Linux HFS+ driver allows local users to trigger a kernel warning or configured panic during directory removal. hfsplus_iget() only partially initializes struct hfsplus_inode_info for the root folder, leaving subfolders undefined when hfsplus_delete_cat() decrements it. Reachability requires local ability to mount and modify an HFS+ filesystem, and a kernel panic requires KMSAN with panic behavior enabled.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.21%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Uninitialized memory use in the Linux HFS+ driver allows local users to trigger a kernel warning or configured panic during directory removal. hfsplus_iget() only partially initializes struct hfsplus_inode_info for the root folder, leaving subfolders undefined when hfsplus_delete_cat() decrements it. Reachability requires local ability to mount and modify an HFS+ filesystem, and a kernel panic requires KMSAN with panic behavior enabled.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-40351
Published
Dec 16, 2025
Updated
Dec 16, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 16, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Dec 16, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <1b9e5ade272f8be6421c9eea4c4f6810180017f9
  2. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <295527bfdefd5bf31ec8218e2891a65777141d05
  3. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <2bb8bc99b1a7a46d83f95c46f530305f6df84eaf
  4. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <4891bf2b09c313622a6e07d7f108aa5e123c768d
  5. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9b3d15a758910bb98ba8feb4109d99cc67450ee4
  6. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9df3c241fbf69edce968b20eeeeb3f6da34af041
  7. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a2bee43b451615531ae6f3cf45054f02915ef885
  8. Affected versionversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b07630afe1671096dc64064190cae3b6165cf6e4

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <1b9e5ade272f8be6421c9eea4c4f6810180017f9; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <295527bfdefd5bf31ec8218e2891a65777141d05; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <2bb8bc99b1a7a46d83f95c46f530305f6df84eaf; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <4891bf2b09c313622a6e07d7f108aa5e123c768d; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9b3d15a758910bb98ba8feb4109d99cc67450ee4; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <9df3c241fbf69edce968b20eeeeb3f6da34af041; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <a2bee43b451615531ae6f3cf45054f02915ef885; version=1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 <b07630afe1671096dc64064190cae3b6165cf6e4

Published CVSS scores

No CVSS assessment is available in this record.

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Endpoint Denial of Service: Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

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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