Local service interruption via unreclaimed BPF maps
Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025
Memory exhaustion in the Linux kernel BPF subsystem 6.18 through 6.18.1 allows local users to interrupt services via repeated map creation. In kernel/bpf/syscall.c, map_create leaves an allocated exclusive-program hash map unreclaimed when excl_prog_hash is zero while excl_prog_hash_size remains nonzero. Reachability requires local low-privileged access to invoke BPF map creation; sustained triggering consumes kernel memory and disrupts host availability.
Summary
What happened
Memory exhaustion in the Linux kernel BPF subsystem 6.18 through 6.18.1 allows local users to interrupt services via repeated map creation. In kernel/bpf/syscall.c, map_create leaves an allocated exclusive-program hash map unreclaimed when excl_prog_hash is zero while excl_prog_hash_size remains nonzero. Reachability requires local low-privileged access to invoke BPF map creation; sustained triggering consumes kernel memory and disrupts host availability.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-68355
- Published
- Dec 24, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 24, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- Unavailable
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 24, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Dec 24, 2025Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
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- Affected versionversion=6.18
- Affected versionversion=baefdbdf6812e120c9fba9cfb101d3656f478026 <688b745401ab16e2e1a3b504863f0a45fd345638
- Affected versionversion=baefdbdf6812e120c9fba9cfb101d3656f478026 <f0022551745d72fc0e7bc8601234d690dee2178d
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