In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/kmemleak: avoid deadlock...

Description

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

mm/kmemleak: avoid deadlock by moving pr_warn() outside kmemleak_lock

When netpoll is enabled, calling pr_warn_once() while holding
kmemleak_lock in mem_pool_alloc() can cause a deadlock due to lock
inversion with the netconsole subsystem. This occurs because
pr_warn_once() may trigger netpoll, which eventually leads to
__alloc_skb() and back into kmemleak code, attempting to reacquire
kmemleak_lock.

This is the path for the deadlock.

mem_pool_alloc()
-> raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&kmemleak_lock, flags);
-> pr_warn_once()
-> netconsole subsystem
-> netpoll
-> __alloc_skb
-> __create_object
-> raw_spin_lock_irqsave(&kmemleak_lock, flags);

Fix this by setting a flag and issuing the pr_warn_once() after
kmemleak_lock is released.

Basic information

Type
unreviewed
Severity
medium
Advisory on GitHub
Open advisory ↗
Repository advisory
Source code
Not specified
Published (advisory)
2025-09-11 18:35:50 UTC
Updated
2026-05-12 15:32:13 UTC
NVD published
2025-09-11

EPSS Score

Score Percentile
0.01% 2.64%

CVSS Scores

Base score Version Severity Vector
5.5 3.1
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

Identifiers

CWEs

CWE id Name
CWE-667 Improper Locking

References

cvelogic Threat Intelligence