CVE-2025-39749

rcu: Protect ->defer_qs_iw_pending from data race

HIGH
7
CVSS Score
Published: September 11, 2025 at 04:52 PM UTC
Updated: October 19, 2026 at 09:10 PM UTC
3 products affected across 3 vendorsLinux KernelDebian LinuxSIMATIC CN 4100

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Severity
HIGH7
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rcu: Protect ->defer_qs_iw_pending from data race On kernels built with CONFIG_IRQ_WORK=y, when rcu_read_unlock() is invoked within an interrupts-disabled region of code [1], it will invoke rcu_read_unlock_special(), which uses an irq-work handler to force the system to notice when the RCU read-side critical section actually ends. That end won't happen until interrupts are enabled at the soonest. In some kernels, such as those booted with rcutree.use_softirq=y, the irq-work handler is used unconditionally. The per-CPU rcu_data structure's ->defer_qs_iw_pending field is updated by the irq-work handler and is both read and updated by rcu_read_unlock_special(). This resulted in the following KCSAN splat: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BUG: KCSAN: data-race in rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler / rcu_read_unlock_special read to 0xffff96b95f42d8d8 of 1 bytes by task 90 on cpu 8: rcu_read_unlock_special+0x175/0x260 __rcu_read_unlock+0x92/0xa0 rt_spin_unlock+0x9b/0xc0 __local_bh_enable+0x10d/0x170 __local_bh_enable_ip+0xfb/0x150 rcu_do_batch+0x595/0xc40 rcu_cpu_kthread+0x4e9/0x830 smpboot_thread_fn+0x24d/0x3b0 kthread+0x3bd/0x410 ret_from_fork+0x35/0x40 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 write to 0xffff96b95f42d8d8 of 1 bytes by task 88 on cpu 8: rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler+0x1e/0x30 irq_work_single+0xaf/0x160 run_irq_workd+0x91/0xc0 smpboot_thread_fn+0x24d/0x3b0 kthread+0x3bd/0x410 ret_from_fork+0x35/0x40 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 no locks held by irq_work/8/88. irq event stamp: 200272 hardirqs last enabled at (200272): [<ffffffffb0f56121>] finish_task_switch+0x131/0x320 hardirqs last disabled at (200271): [<ffffffffb25c7859>] __schedule+0x129/0xd70 softirqs last enabled at (0): [<ffffffffb0ee093f>] copy_process+0x4df/0x1cc0 softirqs last disabled at (0): [<0000000000000000>] 0x0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ The problem is that irq-work handlers run with interrupts enabled, which means that rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler() could be interrupted, and that interrupt handler might contain an RCU read-side critical section, which might invoke rcu_read_unlock_special(). In the strict KCSAN mode of operation used by RCU, this constitutes a data race on the ->defer_qs_iw_pending field. This commit therefore disables interrupts across the portion of the rcu_preempt_deferred_qs_handler() that updates the ->defer_qs_iw_pending field. This suffices because this handler is not a fast path.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

All versions5.11 ≤ v < 5.15.1905.16 ≤ v < 6.1.1495.3 ≤ v < 5.4.2975.5 ≤ v < 5.10.2416.13 ≤ v < 6.15.116.16 ≤ v < 6.16.26.2 ≤ v < 6.6.1036.7 ≤ v < 6.12.435.3864f57b50bc6dd68106b3185e2db5140012d
Vendor states this is fixed in 0ad84d62217488e679ecc90e8628980dcc003de3 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 55e11f6776798b27cf09a7aa0d718415d4fc9cf5 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 74f58f382a7c8333f8d09701aefaa25913bdbe0e (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 90c09d57caeca94e6f3f87c49e96a91edd40cbfd (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 90de9c94ea72327cfa9c2c9f6113c23a513af60b (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in b55947b725f190396f475d5d0c59aa855a4d8895 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in b5de8d80b5d049f051b95d9b1ee50ae4ab656124 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in e35e711c78c8a4c43330c0dcb1c4d507a19c20f4 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in f937759c7432d6151b73e1393b6517661813d506 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10.241 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.15.190 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.3 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.4.297 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1.149 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.43 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.15.11 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.16.2 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.17 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.103 (unaffected)
v < V5.0
Affected range stops below V5.0, so it looks safe — our inference, not a vendor statement

References (12)

Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ad84d62217488e679ecc90e8628980dcc003de3
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/55e11f6776798b27cf09a7aa0d718415d4fc9cf5
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74f58f382a7c8333f8d09701aefaa25913bdbe0e
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/90c09d57caeca94e6f3f87c49e96a91edd40cbfd
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/90de9c94ea72327cfa9c2c9f6113c23a513af60b
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b55947b725f190396f475d5d0c59aa855a4d8895
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b5de8d80b5d049f051b95d9b1ee50ae4ab656124
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e35e711c78c8a4c43330c0dcb1c4d507a19c20f4

CVSS

Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
HIGH
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
HIGH
Integrity
HIGH
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
NVD-CWE-noinfo

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