CVE-2025-68250: Linux kernel · hung_task: fix warnings caused by unaligned lock pointers
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 8.2 High · fixed in 6.17.0-1011.11 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:29 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.3% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 23% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 6.17.0-1011.11, 6.17.0-1008.8~24.04.1, 6.17.0-1008.8 +1
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 16 Dec 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.
What to do
Upgrade Linux kernel to 6.17.0-1011.11, 6.17.0-1008.8~24.04.1, 6.17.0-1008.8 or 6.17.0-1007.7~24.04.1.
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
| linux-hwe-edge | Affected
| Fixed in
|
AI-suggested
A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel that adjusts runtime checks to ignore unaligned lock pointers, preventing the warnings and related issues. Users should apply the official kernel updates containing this fix when available. Patch status is not explicitly confirmed here; check the Linux kernel vendor advisory for the current remediation guidance.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hung_task: fix warnings caused by unaligned lock pointers The blocker tracking mechanism assumes that lock pointers are at least 4-byte aligned to use their lower bits for type encoding. However, as reported by Eero Tamminen, some architectures like m68k only guarantee 2-byte alignment of 32-bit values. This breaks the assumption and causes two related WARN_ON_ONCE checks to trigger. To fix this, the runtime checks are adjusted to silently ignore any lock that is not 4-byte aligned, effectively disabling the feature in such cases and avoiding the related warnings. Thanks to Geert Uytterhoeven for bisecting!
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68250 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c0e2dcbe54cb15ecdf9d8f4501c6720423243888 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c97513cddcfc235f2522617980838e500af21d01 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-68250 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68250 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/c97513cddcfc235f2522617980838e500af21d01 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8029-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8030-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8029-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8048-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8029-3 (opens in a new tab)