CVE-2025-40211
BaseFortify
Publication date: 2025-11-21
Last updated on: 2025-12-06
Assigner: kernel.org
Description
Description
CVSS Scores
EPSS Scores
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Meta Information
Affected Vendors & Products
| Vendor | Product | Version / Range |
|---|---|---|
| linux | linux_kernel | * |
Helpful Resources
Exploitability
| CWE ID | Description |
|---|---|
| CWE-UNKNOWN |
Attack-Flow Graph
AI Powered Q&A
Can you explain this vulnerability to me?
This vulnerability is a use-after-free issue in the Linux kernel's ACPI video component. Specifically, a delayed work function called switch_brightness_work accesses device brightness and backlight resources that may have already been freed during device removal. If the delayed work runs after these resources are freed, it dereferences invalid memory, causing a use-after-free error. The fix involves ensuring the delayed work is canceled and completed before the resources are freed.
How can this vulnerability impact me? :
This vulnerability can lead to system instability or crashes due to the use-after-free error when the kernel accesses freed memory. It may also potentially be exploited to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service, depending on the context and attacker capabilities.
What immediate steps should I take to mitigate this vulnerability?
Apply the patch or update to the fixed Linux kernel version that includes the fix for the use-after-free in acpi_video_switch_brightness(). This fix involves calling cancel_delayed_work_sync() for each device's switch_brightness_work to ensure the work completes before memory is freed, preventing the use-after-free condition.