CVE-2025-40212 (GCVE-0-2025-40212)
Vulnerability from cvelistv5 – Published: 2025-11-24 13:04 – Updated: 2026-08-05 12:08
VLAI
EPSS
VEX
Title
nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()
Summary
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.
Severity
9.8 (Critical)
Assigner
References
Impacted products
2 products
| Vendor | Product | Version | CPE status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux |
Affected:
ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444 , < b6bc86ce3944b10b9fc181fc00c1a520a20ed965
(git)
Affected: ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444 , < c83d7365cec5eb5ebeeee2a72e29b4ca58a7e4c2 (git) Affected: ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444 , < 8a7348a9ed70bda1c1f51d3f1815bcbdf9f3b38c (git) |
guessed | |
| Linux | Linux |
Affected:
6.12
Unaffected: 0 , < 6.12 (semver) Unaffected: 6.12.59 , ≤ 6.12.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.17.9 , ≤ 6.17.* (semver) Unaffected: 6.18 , ≤ * (original_commit_for_fix) |
guessed |
{
"containers": {
"cna": {
"affected": [
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"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"fs/nfsd/nfsfh.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
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"versionType": "git"
},
{
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"version": "ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
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"status": "affected",
"version": "ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444",
"versionType": "git"
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{
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"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"fs/nfsd/nfsfh.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.12"
},
{
"lessThan": "6.12",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.59",
"versionType": "semver"
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{
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"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.17.9",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
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"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
}
]
}
],
"cpeApplicability": [
{
"nodes": [
{
"cpeMatch": [
{
"criteria": "cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*",
"versionEndExcluding": "6.12.59",
"versionStartIncluding": "6.12",
"vulnerable": true
},
{
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{
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"versionStartIncluding": "6.12",
"vulnerable": true
}
],
"negate": false,
"operator": "OR"
}
]
}
],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()\n\nnfsd exports a \"pseudo root filesystem\" which is used by NFSv4 to find\nthe various exported filesystems using LOOKUP requests from a known root\nfilehandle. NFSv3 uses the MOUNT protocol to find those exported\nfilesystems and so is not given access to the pseudo root filesystem.\n\nIf a v3 (or v2) client uses a filehandle from that filesystem,\nnfsd_set_fh_dentry() will report an error, but still stores the export\nin \"struct svc_fh\" even though it also drops the reference (exp_put()).\nThis means that when fh_put() is called an extra reference will be dropped\nwhich can lead to use-after-free and possible denial of service.\n\nNormal NFS usage will not provide a pseudo-root filehandle to a v3\nclient. This bug can only be triggered by the client synthesising an\nincorrect filehandle.\n\nTo fix this we move the assignments to the svc_fh later, after all\npossible error cases have been detected."
}
],
"metrics": [
{
"cvssV3_1": {
"baseScore": 9.8,
"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"scenarios": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "AV:N - The bug is in the in-kernel NFS server (nfsd) and is triggered by a crafted filehandle sent by a remote NFSv3/v2 client over the network (TCP/UDP port 2049).\nAC:L - The attacker fully controls the synthesized filehandle and triggers the double exp_put deterministically with a single request; the required V4ROOT pseudo-root export exists by default whenever NFSv4 is enabled, and no race is involved.\nPR:N - NFS clients are unauthenticated at the network level (AUTH_SYS/AUTH_NULL merely assert an identity), and the bug requires no OS privileges on the server \u2014 a malicious client simply synthesizes an invalid pseudo-root filehandle.\nUI:N - Exploitation requires only that the attacker send a crafted NFSv3 request; no action by any local user or administrator is needed.\nS:U - The use-after-free is confined to the kernel\u0027s own memory/security authority with no crossing of a trust boundary such as a VM or IOMMU.\nC:H - The over-released svc_export becomes a use-after-free object; per UAF scoring the attacker can gain control over freed/reallocated memory contents, enabling arbitrary kernel information disclosure.\nI:H - A use-after-free of a heap object (svc_export) enables heap grooming and write primitives against the reallocated memory, supporting kernel integrity compromise and control-flow hijacking.\nA:H - The premature free of an in-use svc_export reliably causes use-after-free crashes/oops, and repeated requests can drive the refcount underflow to panic the server."
}
]
}
],
"providerMetadata": {
"dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:08:37.417Z",
"orgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"shortName": "Linux"
},
"references": [
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6bc86ce3944b10b9fc181fc00c1a520a20ed965"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c83d7365cec5eb5ebeeee2a72e29b4ca58a7e4c2"
},
{
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a7348a9ed70bda1c1f51d3f1815bcbdf9f3b38c"
}
],
"title": "nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()",
"x_generator": {
"engine": "bippy-1.2.0"
}
}
},
"cveMetadata": {
"assignerOrgId": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"assignerShortName": "Linux",
"cveId": "CVE-2025-40212",
"datePublished": "2025-11-24T13:04:20.888Z",
"dateReserved": "2025-04-16T07:20:57.179Z",
"dateUpdated": "2026-08-05T12:08:37.417Z",
"state": "PUBLISHED"
},
"dataType": "CVE_RECORD",
"dataVersion": "5.2",
"vulnerability-lookup:meta": {
"epss": {
"cve": "CVE-2025-40212",
"date": "2026-09-18",
"epss": "0.00401",
"percentile": "0.34131"
},
"nvd": {
"cve": {
"affected": [
{
"affectedData": [
{
"defaultStatus": "unaffected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
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],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
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"version": "ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444",
"versionType": "git"
},
{
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"status": "affected",
"version": "ef7f6c4904d03ccd7478e1ac20ed75f79c4ac444",
"versionType": "git"
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{
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},
{
"defaultStatus": "affected",
"product": "Linux",
"programFiles": [
"fs/nfsd/nfsfh.c"
],
"repo": "https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git",
"vendor": "Linux",
"versions": [
{
"status": "affected",
"version": "6.12"
},
{
"lessThan": "6.12",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "0",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.12.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.12.59",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "6.17.*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.17.9",
"versionType": "semver"
},
{
"lessThanOrEqual": "*",
"status": "unaffected",
"version": "6.18",
"versionType": "original_commit_for_fix"
}
]
}
],
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67"
}
],
"cveTags": [],
"descriptions": [
{
"lang": "en",
"value": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()\n\nnfsd exports a \"pseudo root filesystem\" which is used by NFSv4 to find\nthe various exported filesystems using LOOKUP requests from a known root\nfilehandle. NFSv3 uses the MOUNT protocol to find those exported\nfilesystems and so is not given access to the pseudo root filesystem.\n\nIf a v3 (or v2) client uses a filehandle from that filesystem,\nnfsd_set_fh_dentry() will report an error, but still stores the export\nin \"struct svc_fh\" even though it also drops the reference (exp_put()).\nThis means that when fh_put() is called an extra reference will be dropped\nwhich can lead to use-after-free and possible denial of service.\n\nNormal NFS usage will not provide a pseudo-root filehandle to a v3\nclient. This bug can only be triggered by the client synthesising an\nincorrect filehandle.\n\nTo fix this we move the assignments to the svc_fh later, after all\npossible error cases have been detected."
}
],
"id": "CVE-2025-40212",
"lastModified": "2026-07-30T06:24:18.133",
"metrics": {
"cvssMetricV31": [
{
"cvssData": {
"attackComplexity": "LOW",
"attackVector": "NETWORK",
"availabilityImpact": "HIGH",
"baseScore": 9.8,
"baseSeverity": "CRITICAL",
"confidentialityImpact": "HIGH",
"integrityImpact": "HIGH",
"privilegesRequired": "NONE",
"scope": "UNCHANGED",
"userInteraction": "NONE",
"vectorString": "CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H",
"version": "3.1"
},
"exploitabilityScore": 3.9,
"impactScore": 5.9,
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"type": "Secondary"
}
]
},
"published": "2025-11-24T13:16:02.813",
"references": [
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8a7348a9ed70bda1c1f51d3f1815bcbdf9f3b38c"
},
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b6bc86ce3944b10b9fc181fc00c1a520a20ed965"
},
{
"source": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"url": "https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c83d7365cec5eb5ebeeee2a72e29b4ca58a7e4c2"
}
],
"sourceIdentifier": "416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67",
"vulnStatus": "Deferred"
}
},
"redhat_vex": {
"aggregate_severity": "Moderate",
"current_release_date": "2026-07-30T08:48:03+00:00",
"cve": "CVE-2025-40212",
"id": "CVE-2025-40212",
"initial_release_date": "2025-11-24T00:00:00+00:00",
"product_status:known_affected": "90",
"product_status:known_not_affected": "184",
"source": "Red Hat CSAF VEX",
"status": "final",
"title": "kernel: nfsd: fix refcount leak in nfsd_set_fh_dentry()",
"url": "https://security.access.redhat.com/data/csaf/v2/vex/2025/cve-2025-40212.json",
"version": "3"
}
}
}
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Experimental. This forecast is provided for visualization only and may change without notice. Do not use it for operational decisions.
Forecast uses a logistic model when the trend is rising, or an exponential decay model when the trend is falling. Fitted via linearized least squares.
Sightings
| Author | Source | Type | Date | Other |
|---|
Nomenclature
- Seen: The vulnerability was mentioned, discussed, or observed by the user.
- Confirmed: The vulnerability has been validated from an analyst's perspective.
- Published Proof of Concept: A public proof of concept is available for this vulnerability.
- Exploited: The vulnerability was observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Patched: The vulnerability was observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not exploited: The vulnerability was not observed as exploited by the user who reported the sighting.
- Not confirmed: The user expressed doubt about the validity of the vulnerability.
- Not patched: The vulnerability was not observed as successfully patched by the user who reported the sighting.
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The MITRE ATT&CK techniques below are AI-generated suggestions, inferred from the description of the
vulnerability by the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-classification-roberta-base
model, served locally by ML-Gateway.
They have not been verified by an analyst and are provided for guidance only.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.
The approach is described in our paper Mapping CVEs to MITRE ATT&CK Techniques: A Curated Gold-Set Classifier and the Limits of LLM-Assisted Label Expansion.
Browse all ATT&CK techniques and the vulnerabilities related to each.
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Related by attack behaviour
Vulnerabilities whose description is nearest to this one in the vector space of the CIRCL/vulnerability-attack-technique-biencoder model. This is a similarity search over the bi-encoder space (plain cosine), not a classification, and it has no measured accuracy.
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