Medium severity · published Sep 19, 2025
CVE-2025-39843
mm: slub: avoid wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare
5.5
CVSS
0.1%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm: slub: avoid wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare
set_track_prepare() can incur lock recursion.
The issue is that it is called from hrtimer_start_range_ns
holding the per_cpu(hrtimer_bases)[n].lock, but when enabled
CONFIG_DEBUG_OBJECTS_TIMERS, may wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare,
and try to hold the per_cpu(hrtimer_bases)[n].lock.
Avoid deadlock caused by implicitly waking up kswapd by passing in
allocation flags, which do not contain __GFP_KSWAPD_RECLAIM in the
debug_objects_fill_pool() case. Inside stack depot they are processed by
gfp_nested_mask().
Since ___slab_alloc() has preemption disabled, we mask out
__GFP_DIRECT_RECLAIM from the flags there.
The oops looks something like:
BUG: spinlock recursion on CPU#3, swapper/3/0
lock: 0xffffff8a4bf29c80, .magic: dead4ead, .owner: swapper/3/0, .owner_cpu: 3
Hardware name: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Popsicle based on SM8850 (DT)
Call trace:
spin_bug+0x0
_raw_spin_lock_irqsave+0x80
hrtimer_try_to_cancel+0x94
task_contending+0x10c
enqueue_dl_entity+0x2a4
dl_server_start+0x74
enqueue_task_fair+0x568
enqueue_task+0xac
do_activate_task+0x14c
ttwu_do_activate+0xcc
try_to_wake_up+0x6c8
default_wake_function+0x20
autoremove_wake_function+0x1c
__wake_up+0xac
wakeup_kswapd+0x19c
wake_all_kswapds+0x78
__alloc_pages_slowpath+0x1ac
__alloc_pages_noprof+0x298
stack_depot_save_flags+0x6b0
stack_depot_save+0x14
set_track_prepare+0x5c
___slab_alloc+0xccc
__kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x470
__set_page_owner+0x2bc
post_alloc_hook[jt]+0x1b8
prep_new_page+0x28
get_page_from_freelist+0x1edc
__alloc_pages_noprof+0x13c
alloc_slab_page+0x244
allocate_slab+0x7c
___slab_alloc+0x8e8
kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x450
debug_objects_fill_pool+0x22c
debug_object_activate+0x40
enqueue_hrtimer[jt]+0xdc
hrtimer_start_range_ns+0x5f8
...
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.1% · higher than 2% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
5.19 before 6.1.151; 6.2 before 6.6.105; 6.7 before 6.12.46; 6.13 before 6.16.6; 6.17; 6.17; +2 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
5cf909c553e9efed573811de4b3f5172898d5515 before 994b03b9605d36d814c611385fbf90ca6db20aa8; 5cf909c553e9efed573811de4b3f5172898d5515 before 522ffe298627cfe72539d72167c2e20e72b5e856; 5cf909c553e9efed573811de4b3f5172898d5515 before 243b705a90ed8449f561a271cf251fd2e939f3db; 5cf909c553e9efed573811de4b3f5172898d5515 before eb3240ffd243bfb8b1e9dc568d484ecf9fd660ab; 5cf909c553e9efed573811de4b3f5172898d5515 before 850470a8413a8a78e772c4f6bd9fe81ec6bd5b0f; 5.19 · source: vendor
DL
Debian Linux · Debian
11.0 · source: NVD
SC
SIMATIC CN 4100 · Siemens
before V5.0 · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39843
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-39843
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/243b705a90ed8449f561a271cf251fd2e939f3db
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/522ffe298627cfe72539d72167c2e20e72b5e856
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/850470a8413a8a78e772c4f6bd9fe81ec6bd5b0f
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/994b03b9605d36d814c611385fbf90ca6db20aa8
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb3240ffd243bfb8b1e9dc568d484ecf9fd660ab
Mailing List
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html
More from Kernel
9.8
CVE-2025-39682
tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list
8.8
CVE-2026-53266
netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable
8.8
CVE-2013-6282
Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation Vulnerability
8.4
CVE-2022-0185
Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow Vulnerability
8.4
CVE-2013-2094
Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability
