VulnerabilityPublished 16 Dec 2025Updated 30 Jul 2026

CVE-2025-68218: Linux kernel · nvme-multipath: fix lockdep WARN due to partition scan work

Source GCVE Database

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.5 High.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 10:12 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score

7.5High

How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 44% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector: Network
Attack Complexity: Low
Privileges Required: None
User Interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Bold values are the worst case: easiest to exploit or largest impact.

Attack Vector: Network: The vulnerable component is bound to the network stack and the set of possible attackers extends beyond the other options listed, up to and including the entire Internet. Such a vulnerability is often termed 'remotely exploitable' and can be thought of as an attack being exploitable at the protocol level one or more network hops away (e.g., across one or more routers).
Attack Complexity: Low: Specialized access conditions or extenuating circumstances do not exist. An attacker can expect repeatable success against the vulnerable component.
Privileges Required: None: The attacker is unauthorized prior to attack, and therefore does not require any access to settings or files to carry out an attack.
User Interaction: None: The vulnerable system can be exploited without any interaction from any user.
Scope: Unchanged: An exploited vulnerability can only affect resources managed by the same security authority. In this case, the vulnerable component and the impacted component are either the same, or both are managed by the same security authority.
Confidentiality: None: There is no loss of confidentiality within the impacted component.
Integrity: None: There is no loss of integrity within the impacted component.
Availability: High: There is total loss of availability, resulting in the attacker being able to fully deny access to resources in the impacted component; this loss is either sustained (while the attacker continues to deliver the attack) or persistent (the condition persists even after the attack has completed). Alternatively, the attacker has the ability to deny some availability, but the loss of availability presents a direct, serious consequence to the impacted component (e.g., the attacker cannot disrupt existing connections, but can prevent new connections; the attacker can repeatedly exploit a vulnerability that, in each instance of a successful attack, leaks a only small amount of memory, but after repeated exploitation causes a service to become completely unavailable).

Definitions: FIRST CVSS v3.1 specification.

Exploitation 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.

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.

ghsa-7fq2-6xq4-hq67

What to do

AI-suggested

A fix has been implemented in the Linux kernel to address this issue by changing the workqueue used for partition_scan_work. Users should apply the official kernel updates that include this fix. Since this is a kernel-level issue, updating to a patched kernel version is the recommended remediation. Patch status is not explicitly stated here; users should consult the Linux kernel vendor advisory or distribution updates for the official patched versions.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's nvme-multipath component could cause a deadlock due to improper lock dependency handling during partition scan work. This issue was identified through intermittent lockdep warnings in specific Blktests test cases. The problem arises from a dependency cycle involving disk->open_mutex, kblockd workqueue completion, and partition_scan_work completion. The fix involves changing the execution context of partition_scan_work from the kblockd workqueue to the nvme_wq workqueue, thereby breaking the dependency cycle and preventing potential deadlocks.

Impact

The vulnerability can cause a denial of service by deadlocking kernel operations related to NVMe multipath partition scanning. There is no impact on confidentiality or integrity, but availability is affected due to the potential for system hangs or stalls caused by the deadlock.

Summary

CVE-2025-68218 addresses a deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's nvme-multipath subsystem. The vulnerability manifests as a lockdep warning triggered by a dependency cycle among disk->open_mutex, kblockd workqueue completion, and partition_scan_work completion. This cycle can lead to a deadlock condition. The resolution involves modifying the partition_scan_work to run on the nvme_wq workqueue instead of the kblockd workqueue, effectively removing the problematic dependency and preventing the deadlock.

References

Community reviews

Loading reviews…