CVE-2025-39961

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/amd/pgtbl: Fix possible race while increase page table level The AMD IOMMU host page table implementation supports dynamic page table levels (up to 6 levels), starting with a 3-level configuration that expands based on IOVA address. The kernel maintains a root pointer and current page table level to enable proper page table walks in alloc_pte()/fetch_pte() operations. The IOMMU IOVA allocator initially starts with 32-bit address and onces its exhuasted it switches to 64-bit address (max address is determined based on IOMMU and device DMA capability). To support larger IOVA, AMD IOMMU driver increases page table level. But in unmap path (iommu_v1_unmap_pages()), fetch_pte() reads pgtable->[root/mode] without lock. So its possible that in exteme corner case, when increase_address_space() is updating pgtable->[root/mode], fetch_pte() reads wrong page table level (pgtable->mode). It does compare the value with level encoded in page table and returns NULL. This will result is iommu_unmap ops to fail and upper layer may retry/log WARN_ON. CPU 0 CPU 1 ------ ------ map pages unmap pages alloc_pte() -> increase_address_space() iommu_v1_unmap_pages() -> fetch_pte() pgtable->root = pte (new root value) READ pgtable->[mode/root] Reads new root, old mode Updates mode (pgtable->mode += 1) Since Page table level updates are infrequent and already synchronized with a spinlock, implement seqcount to enable lock-free read operations on the read path.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-10-09
Last modified 2026-02-26
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

4.7

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
High
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-362

CVE-2025-39961 is a Race Condition vulnerability

What is Race Condition?

The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.9.194, 4.14.146, 4.19.75, 5.2.17, 5.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.6.108, 6.12.49, 6.16.9, 6.17 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.9.194 ≥ 4.14.146 ≥ 4.19.75 ≥ 5.2.17 ≥ 5.3
Fixed in
✓ 6.6.108 6.6.x ✓ 6.12.49 6.12.x ✓ 6.16.9 6.16.x ✓ 6.17

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-39961 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-39961?

    CVE-2025-39961 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.7 out of 10 , classified as a Race Condition flaw (CWE-362) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.9.194 onward and has been patched in 6.6.108, 6.12.49, 6.16.9 and others. CVE-2025-39961 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-39961?

    CVE-2025-39961 has a CVSS score of 4.7 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-39961?

    Yes — CVE-2025-39961 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.6.108, 6.12.49, 6.16.9 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.9.194 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-39961 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-39961 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Race Condition (CWE-362)?

    The product contains a code sequence that can run concurrently with other code, creating unexpected states. View CWE-362 on MITRE CWE →