Highly exploitable, CVE-2025-40079 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Deferred
Last updated: 🕕 30 Jul 2026, 06:24 UTC
Originally published on: 🕛 28 Oct 2025, 12:15 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 274 days
CVSS Release: version 3
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
Secondary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2025-40079: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: riscv, bpf: Sign extend struct ops return values properly The ns_bpf_qdisc selftest triggers a kernel panic: Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address ffffffffa38dbf58 Current test_progs pgtable: 4K pagesize, 57-bit VAs, pgdp=0x00000001109cc000 [ffffffffa38dbf58] pgd=000000011fffd801, p4d=000000011fffd401, pud=000000011fffd001, pmd=0000000000000000 Oops [#1] Modules linked in: bpf_testmod(OE) xt_conntrack nls_iso8859_1 [...] [last unloaded: bpf_testmod(OE)] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 23584 Comm: test_progs Tainted: G W OE 6.17.0-rc1-g2465bb83e0b4 #1 NONE Tainted: [W]=WARN, [O]=OOT_MODULE, [E]=UNSIGNED_MODULE Hardware name: Unknown Unknown Product/Unknown Product, BIOS 2024.01+dfsg-1ubuntu5.1 01/01/2024 epc : __qdisc_run+0x82/0x6f0 ra : __qdisc_run+0x6e/0x6f0 epc : ffffffff80bd5c7a ra : ffffffff80bd5c66 sp : ff2000000eecb550 gp : ffffffff82472098 tp : ff60000096895940 t0 : ffffffff8001f180 t1 : ffffffff801e1664 t2 : 0000000000000000 s0 : ff2000000eecb5d0 s1 : ff60000093a6a600 a0 : ffffffffa38dbee8 a1 : 0000000000000001 a2 : ff2000000eecb510 a3 : 0000000000000001 a4 : 0000000000000000 a5 : 0000000000000010 a6 : 0000000000000000 a7 : 0000000000735049 s2 : ffffffffa38dbee8 s3 : 0000000000000040 s4 : ff6000008bcda000 s5 : 0000000000000008 s6 : ff60000093a6a680 s7 : ff60000093a6a6f0 s8 : ff60000093a6a6ac s9 : ff60000093140000 s10: 0000000000000000 s11: ff2000000eecb9d0 t3 : 0000000000000000 t4 : 0000000000ff0000 t5 : 0000000000000000 t6 : ff60000093a6a8b6 status: 0000000200000120 badaddr: ffffffffa38dbf58 cause: 000000000000000d [<ffffffff80bd5c7a>] __qdisc_run+0x82/0x6f0 [<ffffffff80b6fe58>] __dev_queue_xmit+0x4c0/0x1128 [<ffffffff80b80ae0>] neigh_resolve_output+0xd0/0x170 [<ffffffff80d2daf6>] ip6_finish_output2+0x226/0x6c8 [<ffffffff80d31254>] ip6_finish_output+0x10c/0x2a0 [<ffffffff80d31446>] ip6_output+0x5e/0x178 [<ffffffff80d2e232>] ip6_xmit+0x29a/0x608 [<ffffffff80d6f4c6>] inet6_csk_xmit+0xe6/0x140 [<ffffffff80c985e4>] __tcp_transmit_skb+0x45c/0xaa8 [<ffffffff80c995fe>] tcp_connect+0x9ce/0xd10 [<ffffffff80d66524>] tcp_v6_connect+0x4ac/0x5e8 [<ffffffff80cc19b8>] __inet_stream_connect+0xd8/0x318 [<ffffffff80cc1c36>] inet_stream_connect+0x3e/0x68 [<ffffffff80b42b20>] __sys_connect_file+0x50/0x88 [<ffffffff80b42bee>] __sys_connect+0x96/0xc8 [<ffffffff80b42c40>] __riscv_sys_connect+0x20/0x30 [<ffffffff80e5bcae>] do_trap_ecall_u+0x256/0x378 [<ffffffff80e69af2>] handle_exception+0x14a/0x156 Code: 892a 0363 1205 489c 8bc1 c7e5 2d03 084a 2703 080a (2783) 0709 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- The bpf_fifo_dequeue prog returns a skb which is a pointer. The pointer is treated as a 32bit value and sign extend to 64bit in epilogue. This behavior is right for most bpf prog types but wrong for struct ops which requires RISC-V ABI. So let's sign extend struct ops return values according to the function model and RISC-V ABI([0]). [0]: https://riscv.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/riscv-calling.pdf
The exploitability of CVE-2025-40079 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).
CVE-2025-40079 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
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-2025-40079, 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-2025-40079, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
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