CVE-2025-68299: afs: Fix delayed allocation of a cell's anonymous key

Published Dec 16, 2025
·
Updated

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

afs: Fix delayed allocation of a cell's anonymous key

The allocation of a cell's anonymous key is done in a background thread along with other cell setup such as doing a DNS upcall. In the reported bug, this is triggered by afsparsesource() parsing the device name given to mount() and calling afslookupcell() with the name of the cell.

The normal key lookup then tries to use the key description on the anonymous authentication key as the reference for requestkey() - but it may not yet be set and so an oops can happen.

This has been made more likely to happen by the fix for dynamic lookup failure.

Fix this by firstly allocating a reference name and attaching it to the afscell record when the record is created. It can share the memory allocation with the cell name (unfortunately it can't just overlap the cell name by prepending it with "afs@" as the cell name already has a '.' prepended for other purposes). This reference name is then passed to requestkey().

Secondly, the anon key is now allocated on demand at the point a key is requested in afsrequestkey() if it is not already allocated. A mutex is used to prevent multiple allocation for a cell.

Thirdly, make afsrequestkeyrcu() return NULL if the anonymous key isn't yet allocated (if we need it) and then the caller can return -ECHILD to drop out of RCU-mode and afsrequestkey() can be called.

Note that the anonymous key is kind of necessary to make the key lookup cache work as that doesn't currently cache a negative lookup, but it's probably worth some investigation to see if NULL can be used instead.

Affected Software

1 affected component
Linux Linux kernel (AFS)

Event History

Dec 16, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·03:06 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·03:06 PM
Description
Data Sourced
via NVD·04:16 PM
Description

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-68299?

CVE-2025-68299 has a medium severity rating due to its impact on the allocation of anonymous keys in the Linux kernel.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-68299?

To fix CVE-2025-68299, update your Linux kernel to the patched version that resolves the vulnerability.

3

What is the impact of CVE-2025-68299 on systems?

The impact of CVE-2025-68299 can lead to potential delays in key allocation, affecting system performance and security.

4

Which versions of Linux kernel are affected by CVE-2025-68299?

CVE-2025-68299 affects specific versions of the Linux kernel prior to the security updates that address the vulnerability.

5

Was CVE-2025-68299 publicly disclosed?

Yes, CVE-2025-68299 was publicly disclosed as a vulnerability in the Linux kernel.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203