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CVE-2025-40258

9.8 · CRITICAL

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: fix race condition in mptcp_schedule_work() syzbot reported use-after-free in mptcp_schedule_work() [1] Issue here is t…

Published Dec 4, 2025EPSS 0.46%

Overview

CVE-2025-40258 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on December 4, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

Technical description

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

mptcp: fix race condition in mptcp_schedule_work()

syzbot reported use-after-free in mptcp_schedule_work() [1]

Issue here is that mptcp_schedule_work() schedules a work,

then gets a refcount on sk->sk_refcnt if the work was scheduled.

This refcount will be released by mptcp_worker().

[A] if (schedule_work(...)) {

[B] sock_hold(sk);

return true;

}

Problem is that mptcp_worker() can run immediately and complete before [B]

We need instead :

sock_hold(sk);

if (schedule_work(...))

return true;

sock_put(sk);

[1]

refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free.

WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 29 at lib/refcount.c:25 refcount_warn_saturate+0xfa/0x1d0 lib/refcount.c:25

Call Trace:

<TASK>

__refcount_add include/linux/refcount.h:-1 [inline]

__refcount_inc include/linux/refcount.h:366 [inline]

refcount_inc include/linux/refcount.h:383 [inline]

sock_hold include/net/sock.h:816 [inline]

mptcp_sc

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-2025-40258?

CVE-2025-40258 is a critical-severity vulnerability. It was published on December 4, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8 (CRITICAL).

How severe is CVE-2025-40258?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 9.8, rated CRITICAL. It can be exploited remotely over the network. No authentication or special privileges are required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-40258?

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-2025-40258?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-40258 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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