CVE-2025-39721
Vulnerability Scoring
Status: Received on 05 Sep 2025, 18:15 UTC
Published on: 05 Sep 2025, 18:15 UTC
CVSS Release:
CVE-2025-39721: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: qat - flush misc workqueue during device shutdown Repeated loading and unloading of a device specific QAT driver, for example qat_4xxx, in a tight loop can lead to a crash due to a use-after-free scenario. This occurs when a power management (PM) interrupt triggers just before the device-specific driver (e.g., qat_4xxx.ko) is unloaded, while the core driver (intel_qat.ko) remains loaded. Since the driver uses a shared workqueue (`qat_misc_wq`) across all devices and owned by intel_qat.ko, a deferred routine from the device-specific driver may still be pending in the queue. If this routine executes after the driver is unloaded, it can dereference freed memory, resulting in a page fault and kernel crash like the following: BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: ffa000002e50a01c #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode RIP: 0010:pm_bh_handler+0x1d2/0x250 [intel_qat] Call Trace: pm_bh_handler+0x1d2/0x250 [intel_qat] process_one_work+0x171/0x340 worker_thread+0x277/0x3a0 kthread+0xf0/0x120 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50 To prevent this, flush the misc workqueue during device shutdown to ensure that all pending work items are completed before the driver is unloaded. Note: This approach may slightly increase shutdown latency if the workqueue contains jobs from other devices, but it ensures correctness and stability.
The exploitability of CVE-2025-39721 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
No exploitability data is available for CVE-2025-39721.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2025-39721, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2025-39721, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
Unknown
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