In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm/slub: reset KASAN tag in defer_free() before accessing freed memory
When CONFIG_SLUB_TINY is enabled, kfree_nolock() calls kasan_slab_free()
before defer_free(). On ARM64 with MTE (Memory Tagging Extension),
kasan_slab_free() poisons the memory and changes the tag from the
original (e.g., 0xf3) to a poison tag (0xfe).
When defer_free() then tries to write to the freed object to build the
deferred free list via llist_add(), the pointer still has the old tag,
causing a tag mismatch and triggering a KASAN use-after-free report:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in defer_free+0x3c/0xbc mm/slub.c:6537
Write at addr f3f000000854f020 by task kworker/u8:6/983
Pointer tag: [f3], memory tag: [fe]
Fix this by calling kasan_reset_tag() before accessing the freed memory.
This is safe because defer_free() is part of the allocator itself and is
expected to manipulate freed memory for bookkeeping purposes.
mm/slub: reset KASAN tag in defer_free() before accessing freed memory
When CONFIG_SLUB_TINY is enabled, kfree_nolock() calls kasan_slab_free()
before defer_free(). On ARM64 with MTE (Memory Tagging Extension),
kasan_slab_free() poisons the memory and changes the tag from the
original (e.g., 0xf3) to a poison tag (0xfe).
When defer_free() then tries to write to the freed object to build the
deferred free list via llist_add(), the pointer still has the old tag,
causing a tag mismatch and triggering a KASAN use-after-free report:
BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in defer_free+0x3c/0xbc mm/slub.c:6537
Write at addr f3f000000854f020 by task kworker/u8:6/983
Pointer tag: [f3], memory tag: [fe]
Fix this by calling kasan_reset_tag() before accessing the freed memory.
This is safe because defer_free() is part of the allocator itself and is
expected to manipulate freed memory for bookkeeping purposes.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
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| Linux | Linux | affected |
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Advisories
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Fixes
Solution
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Workaround
No workaround given by the vendor.
References
History
Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
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Wed, 14 Jan 2026 15:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/slub: reset KASAN tag in defer_free() before accessing freed memory When CONFIG_SLUB_TINY is enabled, kfree_nolock() calls kasan_slab_free() before defer_free(). On ARM64 with MTE (Memory Tagging Extension), kasan_slab_free() poisons the memory and changes the tag from the original (e.g., 0xf3) to a poison tag (0xfe). When defer_free() then tries to write to the freed object to build the deferred free list via llist_add(), the pointer still has the old tag, causing a tag mismatch and triggering a KASAN use-after-free report: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in defer_free+0x3c/0xbc mm/slub.c:6537 Write at addr f3f000000854f020 by task kworker/u8:6/983 Pointer tag: [f3], memory tag: [fe] Fix this by calling kasan_reset_tag() before accessing the freed memory. This is safe because defer_free() is part of the allocator itself and is expected to manipulate freed memory for bookkeeping purposes. | |
| Title | mm/slub: reset KASAN tag in defer_free() before accessing freed memory | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
Projects
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MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-02-09T08:35:04.437Z
Reserved: 2026-01-13T15:30:19.652Z
Link: CVE-2025-71110
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2026-01-14T15:16:00.080
Modified: 2026-01-14T16:25:12.057
Link: CVE-2025-71110
Redhat
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.
Weaknesses
No weakness.