CVE-2025-68768

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: inet: frags: flush pending skbs in fqdir_pre_exit() We have been seeing occasional deadlocks on pernet_ops_rwsem since September in NIPA. The stuck task was usually modprobe (often loading a driver like ipvlan), trying to take the lock as a Writer. lockdep does not track readers for rwsems so the read wasn't obvious from the reports. On closer inspection the Reader holding the lock was conntrack looping forever in nf_conntrack_cleanup_net_list(). Based on past experience with occasional NIPA crashes I looked thru the tests which run before the crash and noticed that the crash follows ip_defrag.sh. An immediate red flag. Scouring thru (de)fragmentation queues reveals skbs sitting around, holding conntrack references. The problem is that since conntrack depends on nf_defrag_ipv6, nf_defrag_ipv6 will load first. Since nf_defrag_ipv6 loads first its netns exit hooks run _after_ conntrack's netns exit hook. Flush all fragment queue SKBs during fqdir_pre_exit() to release conntrack references before conntrack cleanup runs. Also flush the queues in timer expiry handlers when they discover fqdir->dead is set, in case packet sneaks in while we're running the pre_exit flush. The commit under Fixes is not exactly the culprit, but I think previously the timer firing would eventually unblock the spinning conntrack.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2026-01-13
Last modified 2026-04-15
Patch available
Yes

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 5.3 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.18.3, 6.19 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 5.3
Fixed in
✓ 6.18.3 6.18.x ✓ 6.19

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-68768 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-2025-68768?

    CVE-2025-68768 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.3 onward and has been patched in 6.18.3 and 6.19. CVE-2025-68768 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-68768?

    Yes — CVE-2025-68768 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.18.3 and 6.19. If you are running Linux kernel 5.3 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-68768 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-68768 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.