CVE-2025-71161
Modified Modified - Updated After Analysis
BaseFortify

Publication date: 2026-01-23

Last updated on: 2026-06-01

Assigner: kernel.org

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: dm-verity: disable recursive forward error correction There are two problems with the recursive correction: 1. It may cause denial-of-service. In fec_read_bufs, there is a loop that has 253 iterations. For each iteration, we may call verity_hash_for_block recursively. There is a limit of 4 nested recursions - that means that there may be at most 253^4 (4 billion) iterations. Red Hat QE team actually created an image that pushes dm-verity to this limit - and this image just makes the udev-worker process get stuck in the 'D' state. 2. It doesn't work. In fec_read_bufs we store data into the variable "fio->bufs", but fio bufs is shared between recursive invocations, if "verity_hash_for_block" invoked correction recursively, it would overwrite partially filled fio->bufs.
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Meta Information
Published
2026-01-23
Last Modified
2026-06-01
Generated
2026-06-16
AI Q&A
2026-01-23
EPSS Evaluated
2026-06-15
NVD
CVE-2025-71161
Affected Vendors & Products
Showing 1 associated CPE
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel From 4.5 (inc) to 6.18.6 (exc)
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Exploitability
CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-193 A product calculates or uses an incorrect maximum or minimum value that is 1 more, or 1 less, than the correct value.
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Executive Summary

This vulnerability in the Linux kernel's dm-verity feature involves recursive forward error correction (FEC). The problem is twofold: first, the recursive correction can cause a denial-of-service because a loop with 253 iterations can recursively call a function up to 4 nested times, potentially leading to billions of iterations and causing processes to hang. Second, the recursive correction does not work properly because a shared buffer is overwritten during recursive calls, leading to incorrect data handling.

Impact Analysis

The vulnerability can cause denial-of-service conditions by making processes, such as the udev-worker, get stuck and become unresponsive. This can affect system stability and availability, potentially disrupting normal operations.

Mitigation Strategies

To mitigate this vulnerability, update the Linux kernel to a version where the dm-verity recursive forward error correction has been disabled and fixed. This will prevent the denial-of-service condition caused by recursive calls in fec_read_bufs and avoid the shared buffer corruption issue.

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