fs/eventpoll: fix endless busy loop after timeout has expired
After commit 0a65bc27bd64 ("eventpoll: Set epoll timeout if it's in
the future"), the following program would immediately enter a busy
loop in the kernel:
```
int main() {
int e = epoll_create1(0);
struct epoll_event event = {.events = EPOLLIN};
epoll_ctl(e, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, 0, &event);
const struct timespec timeout = {.tv_nsec = 1};
epoll_pwait2(e, &event, 1, &timeout, 0);
}
```
This happens because the given (non-zero) timeout of 1 nanosecond
usually expires before ep_poll() is entered and then
ep_schedule_timeout() returns false, but `timed_out` is never set
because the code line that sets it is skipped. This quickly turns
into a soft lockup, RCU stalls and deadlocks, inflicting severe
headaches to the whole system.
When the timeout has expired, we don't need to schedule a hrtimer, but
we should set the `timed_out` variable. Therefore, I suggest moving
the ep_schedule_timeout() check into the `timed_out` expression
instead of skipping it.
brauner: Note that there was an earlier fix by Joe Damato in response to
my bug report in [1].
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No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.
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Tracking
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| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
EUVD |
EUVD-2025-27869 | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/eventpoll: fix endless busy loop after timeout has expired After commit 0a65bc27bd64 ("eventpoll: Set epoll timeout if it's in the future"), the following program would immediately enter a busy loop in the kernel: ``` int main() { int e = epoll_create1(0); struct epoll_event event = {.events = EPOLLIN}; epoll_ctl(e, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, 0, &event); const struct timespec timeout = {.tv_nsec = 1}; epoll_pwait2(e, &event, 1, &timeout, 0); } ``` This happens because the given (non-zero) timeout of 1 nanosecond usually expires before ep_poll() is entered and then ep_schedule_timeout() returns false, but `timed_out` is never set because the code line that sets it is skipped. This quickly turns into a soft lockup, RCU stalls and deadlocks, inflicting severe headaches to the whole system. When the timeout has expired, we don't need to schedule a hrtimer, but we should set the `timed_out` variable. Therefore, I suggest moving the ep_schedule_timeout() check into the `timed_out` expression instead of skipping it. brauner: Note that there was an earlier fix by Joe Damato in response to my bug report in [1]. |
Fri, 14 Nov 2025 19:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | NVD-CWE-noinfo | |
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
cvssV3_1
|
Fri, 20 Jun 2025 23:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
threat_severity
|
cvssV3_1
|
Wed, 18 Jun 2025 09:45:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/eventpoll: fix endless busy loop after timeout has expired After commit 0a65bc27bd64 ("eventpoll: Set epoll timeout if it's in the future"), the following program would immediately enter a busy loop in the kernel: ``` int main() { int e = epoll_create1(0); struct epoll_event event = {.events = EPOLLIN}; epoll_ctl(e, EPOLL_CTL_ADD, 0, &event); const struct timespec timeout = {.tv_nsec = 1}; epoll_pwait2(e, &event, 1, &timeout, 0); } ``` This happens because the given (non-zero) timeout of 1 nanosecond usually expires before ep_poll() is entered and then ep_schedule_timeout() returns false, but `timed_out` is never set because the code line that sets it is skipped. This quickly turns into a soft lockup, RCU stalls and deadlocks, inflicting severe headaches to the whole system. When the timeout has expired, we don't need to schedule a hrtimer, but we should set the `timed_out` variable. Therefore, I suggest moving the ep_schedule_timeout() check into the `timed_out` expression instead of skipping it. brauner: Note that there was an earlier fix by Joe Damato in response to my bug report in [1]. | |
| Title | fs/eventpoll: fix endless busy loop after timeout has expired | |
| References |
|
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-05-11T21:19:42.321Z
Reserved: 2025-04-16T04:51:23.977Z
Link: CVE-2025-38017
No data.
Status : Analyzed
Published: 2025-06-18T10:15:33.310
Modified: 2025-11-14T19:01:41.973
Link: CVE-2025-38017
OpenCVE Enrichment
Updated: 2025-06-23T08:53:47Z
EUVD