Memory Management Flaw in Linux Kernel Affecting Networking Functionality

CVE-2025-40158

What is CVE-2025-40158?

A vulnerability present in the Linux kernel has been identified related to the ipv6 protocol's output processing. Specifically, the implementation in the ip6_output() function had a potential use-after-free (UAF) issue. By leveraging Read-Copy-Update (RCU) mechanisms, the updated code mitigates this risk, ensuring that resource management during network transmission is handled more safely. This enhancement removes the need for rcu_read_lock() and rcu_read_unlock() in specific output functions, streamlining the process and increasing the robustness of network operations.

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