VulnerabilityPublished 14 Jan 2026Updated 31 Jul 2026

CVE-2025-71140: Linux kernel · media: mediatek: vcodec: Use spinlock for context list protection lock

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · fixed in 6.8.0-1052.55~22.04.1 : 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: 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 8% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch: Available – fixed in 6.8.0-1052.55~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1059.65~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1054.57~22.04.1 +40

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Jan 2026
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@6.17.0-22.22?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-22.22	Fixed in 6.17.0-22.22
Ubuntu 25.10linux-aws`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws@6.17.0-1012.12?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1012.12	Fixed in 6.17.0-1012.12
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure@6.17.0-1013.13?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1013.13	Fixed in 6.17.0-1013.13
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@6.17.0-1012.12?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1012.12	Fixed in 6.17.0-1012.12
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oracle`pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle@6.17.0-1011.11?arch=source&distro=questing`Other threats	Affected <6.17.0-1011.11	Fixed in 6.17.0-1011.11

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 that replaces the mutex with a spinlock for context list protection in the MediaTek vcodec driver. Users should apply the official Linux kernel updates that include this fix. After updating, a system reboot is required to activate the patched kernel. No additional mitigation steps are necessary as the issue is resolved by this official fix.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MediaTek video codec driver was addressed by replacing a mutex with a spinlock to protect context lists. The issue involved improper locking that could lead to a NULL pointer dereference in the IPI handler due to invalid context pointers, triggered in hard IRQ context on the MT8173 platform. This flaw was reproducible on mainline kernels and ChromeOS kernels using certain decoders. The fix involves using a spinlock for faster and safer context list protection.

Impact

This vulnerability could cause a NULL pointer dereference in the IPI handler, potentially leading to kernel warnings or crashes. It affects systems using the MediaTek vcodec driver on affected Linux kernel versions, particularly on MT8173 hardware. There is no evidence of exploitation in the wild. The impact is limited to system stability and reliability rather than direct privilege escalation or data compromise.

Summary

The Linux kernel's MediaTek vcodec driver previously used a mutex to protect encoder and decoder context lists from unexpected changes originating from the SCP IP block. On the MT8173 platform, the VPU IPI handler is invoked in hard IRQ context, where mutex use causes scheduler warnings and potential NULL pointer dereferences due to invalid context pointers. The vulnerability was reported downstream on ChromeOS kernels and reproduced on mainline kernels with FFmpeg v4l2m2m decoders. The fix replaces the mutex with a spinlock to properly protect the context list in hard IRQ context, preventing invalid pointer dereferences and scheduler warnings.

References

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Exploitation evidence

What to do

Affected software

Description

AI analysisMachine-generated, updated 25 Oct 2026, 14:44 UTC

Technical details

References

Community reviews

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