CVE-2025-40138
Vulnerability Scoring
Status: Awaiting Analysis
Published on: 12 Nov 2025, 11:15 UTC
CVSS Release:
CVE-2025-40138: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: f2fs: fix to avoid NULL pointer dereference in f2fs_check_quota_consistency() syzbot reported a f2fs bug as below: Oops: gen[ 107.736417][ T5848] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN PTI KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 5848 Comm: syz-executor263 Tainted: G W 6.17.0-rc1-syzkaller-00014-g0e39a731820a #0 PREEMPT_{RT,(full)} RIP: 0010:strcmp+0x3c/0xc0 lib/string.c:284 Call Trace: <TASK> f2fs_check_quota_consistency fs/f2fs/super.c:1188 [inline] f2fs_check_opt_consistency+0x1378/0x2c10 fs/f2fs/super.c:1436 __f2fs_remount fs/f2fs/super.c:2653 [inline] f2fs_reconfigure+0x482/0x1770 fs/f2fs/super.c:5297 reconfigure_super+0x224/0x890 fs/super.c:1077 do_remount fs/namespace.c:3314 [inline] path_mount+0xd18/0xfe0 fs/namespace.c:4112 do_mount fs/namespace.c:4133 [inline] __do_sys_mount fs/namespace.c:4344 [inline] __se_sys_mount+0x317/0x410 fs/namespace.c:4321 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xfa/0x3b0 arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f The direct reason is f2fs_check_quota_consistency() may suffer null-ptr-deref issue in strcmp(). The bug can be reproduced w/ below scripts: mkfs.f2fs -f /dev/vdb mount -t f2fs -o usrquota /dev/vdb /mnt/f2fs quotacheck -uc /mnt/f2fs/ umount /mnt/f2fs mount -t f2fs -o usrjquota=aquota.user,jqfmt=vfsold /dev/vdb /mnt/f2fs mount -t f2fs -o remount,usrjquota=,jqfmt=vfsold /dev/vdb /mnt/f2fs umount /mnt/f2fs So, before old_qname and new_qname comparison, we need to check whether they are all valid pointers, fix it.
The exploitability of CVE-2025-40138 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-2025-40138.
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-2025-40138, 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-2025-40138, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
Unknown
Stay updated with real-time CVE vulnerabilities and take action to secure your systems. Enhance your cybersecurity posture with the latest threat intelligence and mitigation techniques. Develop the skills necessary to defend against CVEs and secure critical infrastructures. Join the top cybersecurity professionals safeguarding today's infrastructures.