CVE-2025-40212

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry() nfsd exports a "pseudo root filesystem" which is used by NFSv4 to find the various exported filesystems using LOOKUP requests from a known root filehandle. NFSv3 uses the MOUNT protocol to find those exported filesystems and so is not given access to the pseudo root filesystem. If a v3 (or v2) client uses a filehandle from that filesystem, nfsd_set_fh_dentry() will report an error, but still stores the export in "struct svc_fh" even though it also drops the reference (exp_put()). This means that when fh_put() is called an extra reference will be dropped which can lead to use-after-free and possible denial of service. Normal NFS usage will not provide a pseudo-root filehandle to a v3 client. This bug can only be triggered by the client synthesising an incorrect filehandle. To fix this we move the assignments to the svc_fh later, after all possible error cases have been detected.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-11-24
Last modified 2026-04-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.12 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.12.59, 6.17.9, 6.18 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.12
Fixed in
✓ 6.12.59 6.12.x ✓ 6.17.9 6.17.x ✓ 6.18

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-40212 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-2025-40212?

    CVE-2025-40212 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.12 onward and has been patched in 6.12.59, 6.17.9 and 6.18. CVE-2025-40212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-40212?

    Yes — CVE-2025-40212 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.12.59, 6.17.9 and 6.18. If you are running Linux kernel 6.12 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-40212 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-40212 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.