CVE-2025-39723: netfs: Fix unbuffered write error handling
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netfs: Fix unbuffered write error handling
If all the subrequests in an unbuffered write stream fail, the subrequest collector doesn't update the stream->transferred value and it retains its initial LONGMAX value. Unfortunately, if all active streams fail, then we take the smallest value of { LONGMAX, LONGMAX, ... } as the value to set in wreq->transferred - which is then returned from ->writeiter().
LONGMAX was chosen as the initial value so that all the streams can be quickly assessed by taking the smallest value of all stream->transferred - but this only works if we've set any of them.
Fix this by adding a flag to indicate whether the value in stream->transferred is valid and checking that when we integrate the values. stream->transferred can then be initialised to zero.
This was found by running the generic/750 xfstest against cifs with cache=none. It splices data to the target file. Once (if) it has used up all the available scratch space, the writes start failing with ENOSPC. This causes ->writeiter() to fail. However, it was returning wreq->transferred, i.e. LONGMAX, rather than an error (because it thought the amount transferred was non-zero) and iterfilesplicewrite() would then try to clean up that amount of pipe bufferage - leading to an oops when it overran. The kernel log showed:
CIFS: VFS: Send error in write = -28
followed by:
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008
with:
RIP: 0010:iterfilesplicewrite+0x3a4/0x520 dosplice+0x197/0x4e0
or:
RIP: 0010:pipebufrelease (include/linux/pipefsi.h:282) iterfilesplicewrite (fs/splice.c:755)
Also put a warning check into splice to announce if ->writeiter() returned that it had written more than it was asked to.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Upgrade
Upgrade
debian/linuxto a version that resolves this vulnerability.Fixed in 6.1.176-1Fixed in 6.1.190-1Fixed in 6.12.107-1Fixed in 6.12.113-1Fixed in 7.2.12-1Fixed in 7.2.13-1
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2025-39723?
CVE-2025-39723 is considered a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel.
What issue does CVE-2025-39723 address?
CVE-2025-39723 addresses an unbuffered write error handling issue in the netfs component of the Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-39723?
To fix CVE-2025-39723, you should update your Linux kernel to the latest stable version that includes the patch.
Which versions of the Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2025-39723?
CVE-2025-39723 affects all versions of the Linux kernel prior to the patch release that resolves this issue.
Is CVE-2025-39723 a remote vulnerability?
CVE-2025-39723 is not explicitly classified as a remote vulnerability, but it could be exploited in certain networked scenarios.