CVE-2025-68294

Local privilege escalation via notification lifetime mismatch

Published Dec 16, 2025 · Updated Dec 16, 2025

Use-after-free in Linux kernel 6.15 through 6.17.10 allows local users to escalate privileges through io_uring vectored zero-copy sends. The vectored registered-buffer import associates managed fragments with the request io_kiocb instead of sr->notif, allowing pages to be released while notification-backed transmission still uses them. An unprivileged process must submit IORING_OP_SENDMSG_ZC and manipulate the registered-buffer lifetime; stale pages permit memory disclosure, corruption, or a kernel panic.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability0.14%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Linux kernel 6.15 through 6.17.10 allows local users to escalate privileges through io_uring vectored zero-copy sends. The vectored registered-buffer import associates managed fragments with the request io_kiocb instead of sr->notif, allowing pages to be released while notification-backed transmission still uses them. An unprivileged process must submit IORING_OP_SENDMSG_ZC and manipulate the registered-buffer lifetime; stale pages permit memory disclosure, corruption, or a kernel panic.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-68294
Published
Dec 16, 2025
Updated
Dec 16, 2025
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

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=23371eac7d9a9bca5360cfb3eb3aa08648ee7246 <14459281e027f23b70885c1cc1032a71c0efd8d7
  2. Affected versionversion=23371eac7d9a9bca5360cfb3eb3aa08648ee7246 <f6041803a831266a2a5a5b5af66f7de0845bcbf3
  3. Affected versionversion=6.15

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=23371eac7d9a9bca5360cfb3eb3aa08648ee7246 <14459281e027f23b70885c1cc1032a71c0efd8d7; version=23371eac7d9a9bca5360cfb3eb3aa08648ee7246 <f6041803a831266a2a5a5b5af66f7de0845bcbf3; version=6.15

Published CVSS scores

7.8CanonicalCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

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

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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