Kernel disruption via NBD configuration race
Published Dec 24, 2025 · Updated Dec 24, 2025
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel NBD subsystem allows local users to disrupt kernel availability through a configuration race. In nbd_genl_connect, the configuration mutex is released before NBD_RT_HAS_CONFIG_REF is set and config_refs is incremented, allowing concurrent NBD_CLEAR_SOCK and close operations to drop the reference count to zero first. Reaching the race requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN and concurrent connection, socket-clearing, and device-close operations; the published reproducer reports a refcount use-after-free warning rather than data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel NBD subsystem allows local users to disrupt kernel availability through a configuration race. In nbd_genl_connect, the configuration mutex is released before NBD_RT_HAS_CONFIG_REF is set and config_refs is incremented, allowing concurrent NBD_CLEAR_SOCK and close operations to drop the reference count to zero first. Reaching the race requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN and concurrent connection, socket-clearing, and device-close operations; the published reproducer reports a refcount use-after-free warning rather than data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-68366
- Published
- Dec 24, 2025
- Updated
- Dec 24, 2025
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
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
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
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- Affected versionversion=4.12
- Affected versionversion=e46c7287b1c27683a8e30ca825fb98e2b97f1099 <1649714b930f9ea6233ce0810ba885999da3b5d4
- Affected versionversion=e46c7287b1c27683a8e30ca825fb98e2b97f1099 <9a38306643874566d20f7aba7dff9e6f657b51a9
- Affected versionversion=e46c7287b1c27683a8e30ca825fb98e2b97f1099 <c9b99c948b4fb014812afe7b5ccf2db121d22e46
- Affected versionversion=e46c7287b1c27683a8e30ca825fb98e2b97f1099 <c9e805f6a35d1dd189a9345595a5c20e87611942
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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