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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-68261: Linux kernel · ext4: add i_data_sem protection in ext4_destroy_inline_data_nolock()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in ba8aeff294ac7ff6dfe293663d815c54c5ee218c : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 10 Nov 2026, 13:17 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.5High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
CVSS scores by source
CNA (Linux)CVSS 3.17.5
CISA SSVC
Exploitation
No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable
Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact
Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-06-16.

Patch
Available – fixed in ba8aeff294ac7ff6dfe293663d815c54c5ee218c, b322bac9f01d03190b5abc52be5d9dd9f22a2b41, 144c48da33a01d92995aeccd8208eb47d2a8e659 +10
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 16 Dec 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq 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 10 Nov 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • >=3.16.44 <3.17
  • >=3.18.107 <3.19
  • >=4.4.129 <4.5
  • >=4.9.14 <4.10
  • >=4.10.2 <4.11
Fixed in
  • ba8aeff294ac7ff6dfe293663d815c54c5ee218c
  • b322bac9f01d03190b5abc52be5d9dd9f22a2b41
  • 144c48da33a01d92995aeccd8208eb47d2a8e659
  • 61e03dc3794ebf77a706b85e5a36c9c6d70be6de
  • 22a76b0861ae61a299c8e126c1aca8c4fda820fd
  • 5cad18e527ba8a9ca5463cc170073eeb5a4826f4
  • 5b266cf6851ce72b11b067fe02adf5a8687104ad
  • 4.11
  • 4.10
  • 4.5
  • 3.19
  • 3.17
  • 0cd8feea8777f8d9b9a862b89c688b049a5c8475
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • =4.11
Fixed in–

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been incorporated in Linux kernel versions 4.11 and later. Users and administrators should upgrade affected Linux kernel versions to 4.11 or newer to remediate this issue. No additional mitigation actions are indicated by the vendor advisory.

Description

CVE-2025-68261 is a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ext4 filesystem code. It occurs due to missing i_data_sem locking in the ext4_destroy_inline_data_nolock() function, which modifies inode data layout flags. Concurrent execution of ext4_map_blocks() can observe inconsistent inode state, leading to a kernel BUG and potential system crash. This issue has been fixed in Linux kernel versions 4.11 and later.

References

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