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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-71132: Linux kernel · smc91x: fix broken irq-context in PREEMPT_RT

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High · fixed in ef277ae121b3249c99994652210a326b52d527b0 : patch Linux kernel soon.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 17:30 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.5High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.2% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 12% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
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, 2026-06-10.

Patch
Available – fixed in ef277ae121b3249c99994652210a326b52d527b0, b6018d5c1a8f09d5efe4d6961d7ee45fdf3a7ce3, 6402078bd9d1ed46e79465e1faaa42e3458f8a33 +3
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 14 Jan 2026

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

ProductAffectedFixed in
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < ef277ae121b3249c99994652210a326b52d527b0
Fixed in
  • ef277ae121b3249c99994652210a326b52d527b0
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < b6018d5c1a8f09d5efe4d6961d7ee45fdf3a7ce3
Fixed in
  • b6018d5c1a8f09d5efe4d6961d7ee45fdf3a7ce3
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < 6402078bd9d1ed46e79465e1faaa42e3458f8a33
Fixed in
  • 6402078bd9d1ed46e79465e1faaa42e3458f8a33
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < 36561b86cb2501647662cfaf91286dd6973804a6
Fixed in
  • 36561b86cb2501647662cfaf91286dd6973804a6
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < 9d222141b00156509d67d80c771fbefa92c43ace
Fixed in
  • 9d222141b00156509d67d80c771fbefa92c43ace
LinuxLinuxAffected
  • ≥ 342a93247e0837101f27bbcca26f402902df98dc, < 1c4cb705e733250d13243f6a69b8b5a92e39b9f6
Fixed in
  • 1c4cb705e733250d13243f6a69b8b5a92e39b9f6

AI-suggested

A fix is available and has been applied in the Linux kernel source. Users should update to a kernel version that includes the fix (commits ef277ae121b3249c99994652210a326b52d527b0 and others). No additional mitigation is required beyond applying the official patch.

Description

CVE-2025-71132 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's smc91x network driver when built with the PREEMPT_RT patch. The issue causes a kernel BUG due to improper IRQ context handling, leading to a workqueue leak and potential system instability or crash. The root cause is that smc_special_trylock() disables IRQs but smc_special_unlock() does not restore them correctly under PREEMPT_RT. This has been fixed by replacing smc_special_trylock() with spin_trylock_irqsave().

References

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