CVE-2025-68780
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/deadline: only set free_cpus for online runqueues Commit 16b269436b72 ("sched/deadline: Modify cpudl::free_cpus to reflect rd->online") introduced the cpudl_set/clear_freecpu functions to allow the cpu_dl::free_cpus mask to be manipulated by the deadline scheduler class rq_on/offline callbacks so the mask would also reflect this state. Commit 9659e1eeee28 ("sched/deadline: Remove cpu_active_mask from cpudl_find()") removed the check of the cpu_active_mask to save some processing on the premise that the cpudl::free_cpus mask already reflected the runqueue online state. Unfortunately, there are cases where it is possible for the cpudl_clear function to set the free_cpus bit for a CPU when the deadline runqueue is offline. When this occurs while a CPU is connected to the default root domain the flag may retain the bad state after the CPU has been unplugged. Later, a different CPU that is transitioning through the default root domain may push a deadline task to the powered down CPU when cpudl_find sees its free_cpus bit is set. If this happens the task will not have the opportunity to run. One example is outlined here: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/[email protected] Another occurs when the last deadline task is migrated from a CPU that has an offlined runqueue. The dequeue_task member of the deadline scheduler class will eventually call cpudl_clear and set the free_cpus bit for the CPU. This commit modifies the cpudl_clear function to be aware of the online state of the deadline runqueue so that the free_cpus mask can be updated appropriately. It is no longer necessary to manage the mask outside of the cpudl_set/clear functions so the cpudl_set/clear_freecpu functions are removed. In addition, since the free_cpus mask is now only updated under the cpudl lock the code was changed to use the non-atomic __cpumask functions.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
4.0
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.15.198,
6.1.160,
6.6.120,
6.12.64,
6.18.3,
6.19
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-68780 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/382748c05e58a9f1935f5a653c352422375566ea
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3ed049fbfb4d75b4e0b8ab54c934f485129d5dc8
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PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9019e399684e3cc68c4a3f050e268f74d69c1317
Frequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2025-68780?
CVE-2025-68780 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.0 onward and has been patched in 5.15.198, 6.1.160, 6.6.120 and others. CVE-2025-68780 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-68780?
Yes — CVE-2025-68780 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.198, 6.1.160, 6.6.120 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.0 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2025-68780 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-68780 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.