CVE Intelligence
High

CVE-2025-40323 — fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released Recently, we discovered the following issue through syzkaller: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in fb_mode_is_equal+0x285/0x2f0 Read of size 4 at addr ff11000001b3c69c by task syz.xxx ... Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0xab/0xe0 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x2c/0x390 print_report+0xb9/0x280 kasan_report+0xb8/0xf0 fb_mode_is_equal+0x285/0x2f0 fbcon_mode_deleted+0x129/0x180 fb_set_var+0xe7f/0x11d0 do_fb_ioctl+0x6a0/0x750 fb_ioctl+0xe0/0x140 __x64_sys_ioctl+0x193/0x210 do_syscall_64+0x5f/0x9c0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e Based on experimentation and analysis, during framebuffer unregistration, only the memory of fb_info->modelist is freed, without setting the corresponding fb_display[i]->mode to NULL for the freed modes. This leads to UAF issues during subsequent accesses. Here's an example of reproduction steps: 1. With /dev/fb0 already registered in the system, load a kernel module to register a new device /dev/fb1; 2. Set fb1's mode to the global fb_display[] array (via FBIOPUT_CON2FBMAP); 3. Switch console from fb to VGA (to allow normal rmmod of the ko); 4. Unload the kernel module, at this point fb1's modelist is freed, leaving a wild pointer in fb_display[]; 5. Trigger the bug via system calls through fb0 attempting to delete a mode from fb0. Add a check in do_unregister_framebuffer(): if the mode to be freed exists in fb_display[], set the corresponding mode pointer to NULL.

Published Dec 7, 2025 · Updated Oct 15, 2026 · Sources: NIST National Vulnerability Database, CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP, GitHub Security Advisories · CNA: Linux

Who exploits it and how urgent it is

A 0–100 score combining confirmed exploitation, ransomware and APT use, public exploits, EPSS and severity.

No exploitation signal in the sources consulted so far.
How the score was calculated
  • EPSS 0.1% (30-day exploitation probability)+0
  • Technical severity (high)+6

The score orders the patch queue; it does not replace your asset context (internet exposure, criticality, compensating controls).

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

Exploitation
Not confirmed
Not in CISA KEV — an absence of record, not proof it is unexploited.
EPSS FIRST
0.14%
ahead of 3% of scored CVEs · Oct 15, 2026
Affects
Linux
Linux
CVSS base
7.8
High · 3 source(s)

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Exploitation
None
none · proof-of-concept · active
Automatable
No
can an attacker script the kill-chain steps
Technical impact
Total
partial · total control of the vulnerable component

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

No fix documented by the sources we poll. That does not mean none exists: check the vendor advisory.

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

  1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Linux Linux).
  2. No fix documented in the sources: reduce exposure and monitor the vendor advisory.
  3. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

VendorProductVersionsStatusSource
Linux Linux ≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < 39c2c1a2773aaf73e56906e5ef670114eb2d354f≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < 4ac18f0e6a6d599ca751c4cd98e522afc8e3d4eb≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < 468f78276a37f4c6499385a4ce28f4f57be6655d≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < c079d42f70109512eee49123a843be91d8fa133f≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < de89d19f4f30d9a8de87b9d08c1bd35cb70576d8≥ 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2 and < a1f3058930745d2b938b6b4f5bd9630dc74b26b7version 2.6.12 Vulnerable CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

ScoreVersionSeverityExpl.ImpactScored by
7.8 CVSS 3.1 High 1.8 5.9 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 via NIST National Vulnerability Database
7.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — GitHub, Inc. via GitHub Security Advisories
7.8 CVSS 3.1 High — — Linux via CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (score shown at the top: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67)

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 13, 2026 → Oct 15, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 0.14%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

  • Local/physical vector: focus on endpoint telemetry (EDR) from affected hosts.
endpoint telemetry (EDR)

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

  • 2026
  • SSVC assessment updated
    Oct 15, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Affected products added · linux/linux
    Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
  • Record published
    Oct 13, 2026
  • CVSS changed · 7.8
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Source status changed · → Deferred
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • Record created in this database
    Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
  • 2025
  • CVE published
    Dec 7, 2025 · Linux

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

  • 1× References added · Oct 14, 2026 – Oct 14, 2026
  • 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

8 on the record

Elsewhere on this site

Linux
every CVE for this vendor

Related CVEs (same products)

  • CVE-2026-99999 ipv4: validate checksum_start before completing checksum 20h
  • CVE-2026-98432 ipv4: free inet_opt and ireq_opt after an RCU grace period 20h
  • CVE-2026-98424 wifi: cfg80211: undo netns switch if renaming the wiphy fails 1d
  • CVE-2026-98425 wifi: mac80211: don't warn when an IBSS has no channel to scan 1d
  • CVE-2026-98426 wifi: mwifiex: fix IRQ leak using wrong index in MSI-X error path 1d
  • CVE-2026-98427 net/sched: codel: bound the dropping loop per dequeue call 1d

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

  • No fixed version, patch or mitigation documented.
  • No CWE classification.
  • No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
  • No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
  • No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2025-40323 is "fbcon: Set fb_display[i]->mode to NULL when the mode is released", rated High. It affects Linux (Linux); versions are in the scope table. It is not in CISA KEV, which does not rule out exploitation. CVSS 7.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 0.14% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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