Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-71117

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-01-14
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.18.3 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: block: Remove queue freezing from several sysfs store callbacks Freezing the request queue from inside sysfs store callbacks may cause a deadlock in combination with the dm-multipath driver and the queue_if_no_path option. Additionally, freezing the request queue slows down system boot on systems where sysfs attributes are set synchronously. Fix this by removing the blk_mq_freeze_queue() / blk_mq_unfreeze_queue() calls from the store callbacks that do not strictly need these callbacks. Add the __data_racy annotation to request_queue.rq_timeout to suppress KCSAN data race reports about the rq_timeout reads. This patch may cause a small delay in applying the new settings. For all the attributes affected by this patch, I/O will complete correctly whether the old or the new value of the attribute is used. This patch affects the following sysfs attributes: * io_poll_delay * io_timeout * nomerges * read_ahead_kb * rq_affinity Here is an example of a deadlock triggered by running test srp/002 if this patch is not applied: task:multipathd Call Trace: <TASK> __schedule+0x8c1/0x1bf0 schedule+0xdd/0x270 schedule_preempt_disabled+0x1c/0x30 __mutex_lock+0xb89/0x1650 mutex_lock_nested+0x1f/0x30 dm_table_set_restrictions+0x823/0xdf0 __bind+0x166/0x590 dm_swap_table+0x2a7/0x490 do_resume+0x1b1/0x610 dev_suspend+0x55/0x1a0 ctl_ioctl+0x3a5/0x7e0 dm_ctl_ioctl+0x12/0x20 __x64_sys_ioctl+0x127/0x1a0 x64_sys_call+0xe2b/0x17d0 do_syscall_64+0x96/0x3a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 </TASK> task:(udev-worker) Call Trace: <TASK> __schedule+0x8c1/0x1bf0 schedule+0xdd/0x270 blk_mq_freeze_queue_wait+0xf2/0x140 blk_mq_freeze_queue_nomemsave+0x23/0x30 queue_ra_store+0x14e/0x290 queue_attr_store+0x23e/0x2c0 sysfs_kf_write+0xde/0x140 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x3b2/0x630 vfs_write+0x4fd/0x1390 ksys_write+0xfd/0x230 __x64_sys_write+0x76/0xc0 x64_sys_call+0x276/0x17d0 do_syscall_64+0x96/0x3a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 </TASK>

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-667

Shared resources are accessed without correct locking, so concurrent operations interleave into inconsistent — and sometimes exploitable — states, or deadlock the service outright. These bugs are subtle and timing-dependent. The fix is correct, consistent locking or atomic operations around every shared resource.

General guidance for the improper locking class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.11.1, < 6.18.3= 6.11= 6.19

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.18.3 or later
Fixed in 6.18.3
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.18.3 or later stable release (e.g., 6.18.3, 6.19.1, or latest stable)

  1. Identify the current running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check if the current kernel version is affected: versions 6.11 through 6.18.2 (inclusive) or 6.19
  3. If affected, upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.18.3 or later, or to a newer stable release such as 6.19.1 or later that includes the fix
  4. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to apply the new kernel
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the sysfs store callbacks no longer use blk_mq_freeze_queue() for the affected attributes (io_poll_delay, io_timeout, nomerges, read_ahead_kb, rq_affinity)
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuild of out-of-tree kernel modules; ensure compatible drivers and modules are available for the target kernel version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-71117 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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