CVE Catalog

CVE-2025-68214

MediumCVSS 4.7
Published: Updated: Translated: NVD NIST

Exploitation Probability (EPSS)

Low risk
0.13%

3th percentile - higher than 3% of all known CVEs

Summary

A race condition exists in the Linux kernel between timer_shutdown_sync() and timer expiration. When timer_shutdown_sync() clears the timer function pointer to NULL while the timer is still running on another CPU, a pending timer with a NULL function pointer remains, triggering a WARN_ON in expire_timers(). The fix only clears the timer function when the timer is actually being detached.

Risk Assessment

This vulnerability can lead to kernel warnings (WARN_ON) and potentially cause system instability or a panic on affected machines. The risk applies to systems where timer_shutdown_sync() and timer expiration occur concurrently across multiple CPUs.

Recommendation

Update the Linux kernel to a version containing the fix for CVE-2025-68214. If an update is not possible, analyze whether concurrent timer operations occur in your environment and consider mitigating the risk by applying a patch or workaround provided by your vendor.

Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

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Original NVD description (English source)

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: timers: Fix NULL function pointer race in timer_shutdown_sync() There is a race condition between timer_shutdown_sync() and timer expiration that can lead to hitting a WARN_ON in expire_timers(). The issue occurs when timer_shutdown_sync() clears the timer function to NULL while the timer is still running on another CPU. The race scenario looks like this: CPU0 CPU1 <SOFTIRQ> lock_timer_base() expire_timers() base->running_timer = timer; unlock_timer_base() [call_timer_fn enter] mod_timer() ... timer_shutdown_sync() lock_timer_base() // For now, will not detach the timer but only clear its function to NULL if (base->running_timer != timer) ret = detach_if_pending(timer, base, true); if (shutdown) timer->function = NULL; unlock_timer_base() [call_timer_fn exit] lock_timer_base() base->running_timer = NULL; unlock_timer_base() ... // Now timer is pending while its function set to NULL. // next timer trigger <SOFTIRQ> expire_timers() WARN_ON_ONCE(!fn) // hit ... lock_timer_base() // Now timer will detach if (base->running_timer != timer) ret = detach_if_pending(timer, base, true); if (shutdown) timer->function = NULL; unlock_timer_base() The problem is that timer_shutdown_sync() clears the timer function regardless of whether the timer is currently running. This can leave a pending timer with a NULL function pointer, which triggers the WARN_ON_ONCE(!fn) check in expire_timers(). Fix this by only clearing the timer function when actually detaching the timer. If the timer is running, leave the function pointer intact, which is safe because the timer will be properly detached when it finishes running.

Vulnerability data from NVD (NIST) · CISA KEV · EPSS