System hang via NFC rfkill lock inversion
Published Jan 13, 2026 · Updated Jan 13, 2026
Denial of service in the Linux Kernel NFC subsystem allows local users to hang the system by racing device removal with rfkill writes. An ABBA lock-order inversion lets rfkill_fop_write() hold rfkill_global_mutex while awaiting device_lock as nfc_unregister_device() holds device_lock while awaiting rfkill_global_mutex. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and concurrent NFC teardown and rfkill activity; the resulting deadlock can hang affected kernel work.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the Linux Kernel NFC subsystem allows local users to hang the system by racing device removal with rfkill writes. An ABBA lock-order inversion lets rfkill_fop_write() hold rfkill_global_mutex while awaiting device_lock as nfc_unregister_device() holds device_lock while awaiting rfkill_global_mutex. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and concurrent NFC teardown and rfkill activity; the resulting deadlock can hang affected kernel work.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-71079
- Published
- Jan 13, 2026
- Updated
- Jan 13, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-667, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 13, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jan 13, 2026Record 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=307d2e6cebfca9d92f86c8e2c8e3dd4a8be46ba6
- Affected versionversion=3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <1ab526d97a57e44d26fadcc0e9adeb9c0c0182f5
- Affected versionversion=3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <6b93c8ab6f6cda8818983a4ae3fcf84b023037b4
- Affected versionversion=3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <8fc4632fb508432895430cd02b38086bdd649083
- Affected versionversion=3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <ee41f4f3ccf8cd6ba3732e867abbec7e6d8d12e5
- Affected versionversion=3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <f3a8a7c1aa278f2378b2f3a10500c6674dffdfda
- Affected versionversion=47244ac0b65bd74cc70007d8e1bac68bd2baad19
- Affected versionversion=5.16
- Affected versionversion=5ef16d2d172ee56714cff37cd005b98aba08ef5a
- Affected versionversion=73a0d12114b4bc1a9def79a623264754b9df698e
- Affected versionversion=8a9c61c3ef187d8891225f9b932390670a43a0d3
- Affected versionversion=c45cea83e13699bdfd47842e04d09dd43af4c371
- Affected versionversion=ff169909eac9e00bf1aa0af739ba6ddfb1b1d135
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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