CVE-2025-68247

Service interruption via leaked POSIX timer allocations

Published Dec 16, 2025 · Updated Dec 16, 2025

Memory leak in Linux kernel 6.15 through 6.17.8 and mainline before 6.18 allows local users to retain memory via POSIX timers. The do_timer_create() path allocates a posix_timer before reading a requested timer ID from user space, then returns on a copy fault without freeing it. The caller must enable explicit-ID restore mode; repeated faulting calls accumulate leaked allocations, leading to host interruption if kernel memory is exhausted.

CVSS severityUnavailable
Unscored
EPSS probability0.17%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leak in Linux kernel 6.15 through 6.17.8 and mainline before 6.18 allows local users to retain memory via POSIX timers. The do_timer_create() path allocates a posix_timer before reading a requested timer ID from user space, then returns on a copy fault without freeing it. The caller must enable explicit-ID restore mode; repeated faulting calls accumulate leaked allocations, leading to host interruption if kernel memory is exhausted.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-68247
Published
Dec 16, 2025
Updated
Dec 16, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1499.001
Attack vector
local
Privileges
Unavailable

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=6.15
  2. Affected versionversion=ec2d0c04624b3c8a7eb1682e006717fa20cfbe24 <e0fd4d42e27f761e9cc82801b3f183e658dc749d
  3. Affected versionversion=ec2d0c04624b3c8a7eb1682e006717fa20cfbe24 <f417f44524e7fc098e787c718d838b32723c0b2d

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesUnavailable in this record.

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=6.15; version=ec2d0c04624b3c8a7eb1682e006717fa20cfbe24 <e0fd4d42e27f761e9cc82801b3f183e658dc749d; version=ec2d0c04624b3c8a7eb1682e006717fa20cfbe24 <f417f44524e7fc098e787c718d838b32723c0b2d

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

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

No observations available

Sep 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
PrivilegesUnavailable
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.001OS Exhaustion Flood

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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