In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL

When the PAGEMAP_SCAN ioctl is invoked with vec_len = 0 reaches
pagemap_scan_backout_range(), kernel panics with null-ptr-deref:

[ 44.936808] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC KASAN NOPTI
[ 44.937797] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007]
[ 44.938391] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2480 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 6.17.0-rc6 #22 PREEMPT(none)
[ 44.939062] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[ 44.939935] RIP: 0010:pagemap_scan_thp_entry.isra.0+0x741/0xa80

<snip registers, unreliable trace>

[ 44.946828] Call Trace:
[ 44.947030] <TASK>
[ 44.949219] pagemap_scan_pmd_entry+0xec/0xfa0
[ 44.952593] walk_pmd_range.isra.0+0x302/0x910
[ 44.954069] walk_pud_range.isra.0+0x419/0x790
[ 44.954427] walk_p4d_range+0x41e/0x620
[ 44.954743] walk_pgd_range+0x31e/0x630
[ 44.955057] __walk_page_range+0x160/0x670
[ 44.956883] walk_page_range_mm+0x408/0x980
[ 44.958677] walk_page_range+0x66/0x90
[ 44.958984] do_pagemap_scan+0x28d/0x9c0
[ 44.961833] do_pagemap_cmd+0x59/0x80
[ 44.962484] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x18d/0x210
[ 44.962804] do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x290
[ 44.963111] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e

vec_len = 0 in pagemap_scan_init_bounce_buffer() means no buffers are
allocated and p->vec_buf remains set to NULL.

This breaks an assumption made later in pagemap_scan_backout_range(), that
page_region is always allocated for p->vec_buf_index.

Fix it by explicitly checking p->vec_buf for NULL before dereferencing.

Other sites that might run into same deref-issue are already (directly or
transitively) protected by checking p->vec_buf.

Note:
From PAGEMAP_SCAN man page, it seems vec_len = 0 is valid when no output
is requested and it's only the side effects caller is interested in,
hence it passes check in pagemap_scan_get_args().

This issue was found by syzkaller.
Advisories

No advisories yet.

Fixes

Solution

No solution given by the vendor.


Workaround

No workaround given by the vendor.

History

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:45:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL When the PAGEMAP_SCAN ioctl is invoked with vec_len = 0 reaches pagemap_scan_backout_range(), kernel panics with null-ptr-deref: [ 44.936808] Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc0000000000: 0000 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC KASAN NOPTI [ 44.937797] KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000000-0x0000000000000007] [ 44.938391] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2480 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 6.17.0-rc6 #22 PREEMPT(none) [ 44.939062] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 44.939935] RIP: 0010:pagemap_scan_thp_entry.isra.0+0x741/0xa80 <snip registers, unreliable trace> [ 44.946828] Call Trace: [ 44.947030] <TASK> [ 44.949219] pagemap_scan_pmd_entry+0xec/0xfa0 [ 44.952593] walk_pmd_range.isra.0+0x302/0x910 [ 44.954069] walk_pud_range.isra.0+0x419/0x790 [ 44.954427] walk_p4d_range+0x41e/0x620 [ 44.954743] walk_pgd_range+0x31e/0x630 [ 44.955057] __walk_page_range+0x160/0x670 [ 44.956883] walk_page_range_mm+0x408/0x980 [ 44.958677] walk_page_range+0x66/0x90 [ 44.958984] do_pagemap_scan+0x28d/0x9c0 [ 44.961833] do_pagemap_cmd+0x59/0x80 [ 44.962484] __x64_sys_ioctl+0x18d/0x210 [ 44.962804] do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x290 [ 44.963111] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e vec_len = 0 in pagemap_scan_init_bounce_buffer() means no buffers are allocated and p->vec_buf remains set to NULL. This breaks an assumption made later in pagemap_scan_backout_range(), that page_region is always allocated for p->vec_buf_index. Fix it by explicitly checking p->vec_buf for NULL before dereferencing. Other sites that might run into same deref-issue are already (directly or transitively) protected by checking p->vec_buf. Note: From PAGEMAP_SCAN man page, it seems vec_len = 0 is valid when no output is requested and it's only the side effects caller is interested in, hence it passes check in pagemap_scan_get_args(). This issue was found by syzkaller.
Title fs/proc/task_mmu: check p->vec_buf for NULL
References

cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2025-10-20T15:26:55.208Z

Reserved: 2025-04-16T07:20:57.151Z

Link: CVE-2025-40009

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Received

Published: 2025-10-20T16:15:37.593

Modified: 2025-10-20T16:15:37.593

Link: CVE-2025-40009

cve-icon Redhat

No data.

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

No data.