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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-71184: Linux kernel · btrfs: fix NULL dereference on root when tracing inode eviction

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

0

Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 6.8.0-1057.60~22.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 11:07 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.5Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
EPSS
0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 3% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
Patch
Available – fixed in 6.8.0-1057.60~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1059.65~22.04.1, 6.8.0-1060.63~22.04.1 +27
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 31 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
Ubuntu 25.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux@6.17.0-40.40?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-15.15 – 6.17.0-40.40
20 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws@6.17.0-1019.19?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1005.5 – 6.17.0-1019.19
17 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure@6.17.0-1020.20?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1004.4 – 6.17.0-1020.20
16 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde@6.17.0-1017.17?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.17.0-1003.3 – 6.17.0-1017.17
10 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp@6.17.0-1020.22?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1006.6 – 6.17.0-1020.22
17 affected builds
Fixed in–
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle@6.17.0-1018.18?arch=source&distro=questingOther threatsAffected
  • 6.14.0-1005.5 – 6.17.0-1018.18
16 affected builds
Fixed in–

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 and has been released by Ubuntu as part of their Linux kernel security updates (USN-8278-1 and USN-8289-1). Users should update their systems to the fixed kernel versions listed in the advisories and reboot to apply the changes. Due to an ABI change, recompilation and reinstallation of third-party kernel modules may be required. No additional mitigation is necessary once the update is applied.

Description

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Btrfs filesystem was fixed to address a NULL pointer dereference during inode eviction tracing. The issue occurs because the root pointer may be NULL when setting up tracing, which can lead to a NULL dereference. The fix involves setting the root object ID to 0 when the root is NULL to allow safe tracing. This vulnerability has a medium severity score and affects certain Linux kernel versions prior to 6.8.0-1055.56 and related versions. A patch is available and included in recent Ubuntu kernel updates.

References

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