VulnerabilityPublished 20 Oct 2025Updated 22 Aug 2026

CVE-2025-40016: Linux kernel · media: uvcvideo: Mark invalid entities with id UVC_INVALID_ENTITY_ID

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 5.15.0-186.196~20.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 13:47 UTC

Severity

Medium

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

EPSS: 0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 16% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 5.15.0-186.196~20.04.1, 5.15.0-184.194~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1064.66~20.04.1 +46

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 20 Oct 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 26 Oct 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponised: Public exploit code exists in Metasploit or Exploit-DB, or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
Ubuntu 25.10linux`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux@6.17.0-6.6?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-6.6	Fixed in 6.17.0-6.6
Ubuntu 25.10linux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws@6.17.0-1003.3?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1003.3	Fixed in 6.17.0-1003.3
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure@6.17.0-1006.6?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1006.6	Fixed in 6.17.0-1006.6
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure-fde`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde@6.17.0-1017.17?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected 6.17.0-1003.3 – 6.17.0-1017.17 10 affected builds	Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-gcp`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp@6.17.0-1003.3?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1003.3	Fixed in 6.17.0-1003.3
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oracle`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle@6.17.0-1003.3?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1003.3	Fixed in 6.17.0-1003.3

Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.

AI-suggested

A patch is available and should be applied to affected Linux kernel versions. The vendor advisory from Ubuntu confirms that this issue is fixed in updated kernel releases. Users should update their Linux kernel to a fixed version to mitigate this vulnerability.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's media subsystem (uvcvideo driver) was resolved by marking invalid entities with the identifier UVC_INVALID_ENTITY_ID. According to the UVC 1.1+ specification, units and terminals must have a non-zero unique ID. Previously, invalid or duplicate IDs caused kernel warnings and potential instability. This fix prevents issues such as chains of entities referring to themselves and kernel warnings triggered by invalid entity references. The vulnerability affects multiple specific Linux kernel versions and has been addressed in updated kernel releases.

Impact

The vulnerability could cause kernel warnings and instability when invalid or duplicate entity IDs are present in USB video devices. This could affect system stability and device functionality but does not indicate remote exploitation or privilege escalation. No known exploits in the wild have been reported.

Summary

The Linux kernel's uvcvideo driver did not correctly handle invalid or duplicate entity IDs, which must be non-zero and unique per the UVC 1.1+ specification. Entities with ID 0 or duplicates are now marked as UVC_INVALID_ENTITY_ID to prevent kernel warnings and potential instability caused by improper entity chains referencing themselves or invalid pads. This fix improves compliance with the UVC specification and prevents certain kernel warnings and errors related to media entity handling.

GCVE source: db.gcve.eu
OSV ID: UBUNTU-CVE-2025-40016
Osv Schema Version: 1.7.0
Ecosystems: Ubuntu:16.04:LTS, Ubuntu:18.04:LTS, Ubuntu:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:20.04:LTS, Ubuntu:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-preview:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:22.04:LTS, Ubuntu:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Nvidia-BlueField:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:FIPS-updates:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:Pro:Realtime:24.04:LTS, Ubuntu:25.10

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 12:01 UTC

Technical details

References

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