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CVE-2025-39843

5.5 · MEDIUM

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm: slub: avoid wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare set_track_prepare() can incur lock recursion.

Published Sep 19, 2025CWE-667EPSS 0.12%

Overview

CVE-2025-39843 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 19, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

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

mm: slub: avoid wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare

set_track_prepare() can incur lock recursion.

The issue is that it is called from hrtimer_start_range_ns

holding the per_cpu(hrtimer_bases)[n].lock, but when enabled

CONFIG_DEBUG_OBJECTS_TIMERS, may wake up kswapd in set_track_prepare,

and try to hold the per_cpu(hrtimer_bases)[n].lock.

Avoid deadlock caused by implicitly waking up kswapd by passing in

allocation flags, which do not contain __GFP_KSWAPD_RECLAIM in the

debug_objects_fill_pool() case. Inside stack depot they are processed by

gfp_nested_mask().

Since ___slab_alloc() has preemption disabled, we mask out

__GFP_DIRECT_RECLAIM from the flags there.

The oops looks something like:

BUG: spinlock recursion on CPU#3, swapper/3/0

lock: 0xffffff8a4bf29c80, .magic: dead4ead, .owner: swapper/3/0, .owner_cpu: 3

Hardware name: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. Popsicle based on SM8850 (DT)

Call trace:

spin_bug+0x0

_raw

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-39843?

CVE-2025-39843 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on September 19, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-39843?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-39843?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-39843?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-39843 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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