Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

fanotify: Validate the return value of mnt_ns_from_dentry() before dereferencing

The function do_fanotify_mark() does not validate if
mnt_ns_from_dentry() returns NULL before dereferencing mntns->user_ns.
This causes a NULL pointer dereference in do_fanotify_mark() if the
path is not a mount namespace object.

Fix this by checking mnt_ns_from_dentry()'s return value before
dereferencing it.

Before the patch

$ gcc fanotify_nullptr.c -o fanotify_nullptr
$ mkdir A
$ ./fanotify_nullptr
Fanotify fd: 3
fanotify_mark: Operation not permitted
$ unshare -Urm
Fanotify fd: 3
Killed

int main(void){
int ffd;
ffd = fanotify_init(FAN_CLASS_NOTIF | FAN_REPORT_MNT, 0);
if(ffd < 0){
perror("fanotify_init");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

printf("Fanotify fd: %d\n",ffd);

if(fanotify_mark(ffd, FAN_MARK_ADD | FAN_MARK_MNTNS,
FAN_MNT_ATTACH, AT_FDCWD, "A") < 0){
perror("fanotify_mark");
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
}

return 0;
}

After the patch

$ gcc fanotify_nullptr.c -o fanotify_nullptr
$ mkdir A
$ ./fanotify_nullptr
Fanotify fd: 3
fanotify_mark: Operation not permitted
$ unshare -Urm
Fanotify fd: 3
fanotify_mark: Invalid argument

[ 25.694973] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000038
[ 25.695006] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode
[ 25.695012] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page
[ 25.695017] PGD 109a30067 P4D 109a30067 PUD 142b46067 PMD 0
[ 25.695025] Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI
[ 25.695032] CPU: 4 UID: 1000 PID: 1478 Comm: fanotify_nullpt Not
tainted 6.17.0-rc4 #1 PREEMPT(lazy)
[ 25.695040] Hardware name: VMware, Inc. VMware Virtual
Platform/440BX Desktop Reference Platform, BIOS 6.00 11/12/2020
[ 25.695049] RIP: 0010:do_fanotify_mark+0x817/0x950
[ 25.695066] Code: 04 00 00 e9 45 fd ff ff 48 8b 7c 24 48 4c 89 54
24 18 4c 89 5c 24 10 4c 89 0c 24 e8 b3 11 fc ff 4c 8b 54 24 18 4c 8b
5c 24 10 <48> 8b 78 38 4c 8b 0c 24 49 89 c4 e9 13 fd ff ff 8b 4c 24 28
85 c9
[ 25.695081] RSP: 0018:ffffd31c469e3c08 EFLAGS: 00010203
[ 25.695104] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000001000000 RCX: ffff8eb48aebd220
[ 25.695110] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff8eb4835e8180
[ 25.695115] RBP: 0000000000000111 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000
[ 25.695142] R10: ffff8eb48a7d56c0 R11: ffff8eb482bede00 R12: 00000000004012a7
[ 25.695148] R13: 0000000000000110 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: ffff8eb48a7d56c0
[ 25.695154] FS: 00007f8733bda740(0000) GS:ffff8eb61ce5f000(0000)
knlGS:0000000000000000
[ 25.695162] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
[ 25.695170] CR2: 0000000000000038 CR3: 0000000136994006 CR4: 00000000003706f0
[ 25.695201] Call Trace:
[ 25.695209] <TASK>
[ 25.695215] __x64_sys_fanotify_mark+0x1f/0x30
[ 25.695222] do_syscall_64+0x82/0x2c0
...
Published: 2025-10-28
Score: 5.5 Medium
EPSS: < 1% Very Low
KEV: No
Impact: n/a
Action: n/a
AI Analysis

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Remediation

No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.

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Tracking

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Advisories
Source ID Title
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8029-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8030-1 Linux kernel (GCP) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8029-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8048-1 Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-8029-3 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
History

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 06:30:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 11:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 00:15:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

 cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:00:00 +0000

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fanotify: Validate the return value of mnt_ns_from_dentry() before dereferencing The function do_fanotify_mark() does not validate if mnt_ns_from_dentry() returns NULL before dereferencing mntns->user_ns. This causes a NULL pointer dereference in do_fanotify_mark() if the path is not a mount namespace object. Fix this by checking mnt_ns_from_dentry()'s return value before dereferencing it. Before the patch $ gcc fanotify_nullptr.c -o fanotify_nullptr $ mkdir A $ ./fanotify_nullptr Fanotify fd: 3 fanotify_mark: Operation not permitted $ unshare -Urm Fanotify fd: 3 Killed int main(void){ int ffd; ffd = fanotify_init(FAN_CLASS_NOTIF | FAN_REPORT_MNT, 0); if(ffd < 0){ perror("fanotify_init"); exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } printf("Fanotify fd: %d\n",ffd); if(fanotify_mark(ffd, FAN_MARK_ADD | FAN_MARK_MNTNS, FAN_MNT_ATTACH, AT_FDCWD, "A") < 0){ perror("fanotify_mark"); exit(EXIT_FAILURE); } return 0; } After the patch $ gcc fanotify_nullptr.c -o fanotify_nullptr $ mkdir A $ ./fanotify_nullptr Fanotify fd: 3 fanotify_mark: Operation not permitted $ unshare -Urm Fanotify fd: 3 fanotify_mark: Invalid argument [ 25.694973] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000038 [ 25.695006] #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode [ 25.695012] #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page [ 25.695017] PGD 109a30067 P4D 109a30067 PUD 142b46067 PMD 0 [ 25.695025] Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI [ 25.695032] CPU: 4 UID: 1000 PID: 1478 Comm: fanotify_nullpt Not tainted 6.17.0-rc4 #1 PREEMPT(lazy) [ 25.695040] Hardware name: VMware, Inc. VMware Virtual Platform/440BX Desktop Reference Platform, BIOS 6.00 11/12/2020 [ 25.695049] RIP: 0010:do_fanotify_mark+0x817/0x950 [ 25.695066] Code: 04 00 00 e9 45 fd ff ff 48 8b 7c 24 48 4c 89 54 24 18 4c 89 5c 24 10 4c 89 0c 24 e8 b3 11 fc ff 4c 8b 54 24 18 4c 8b 5c 24 10 <48> 8b 78 38 4c 8b 0c 24 49 89 c4 e9 13 fd ff ff 8b 4c 24 28 85 c9 [ 25.695081] RSP: 0018:ffffd31c469e3c08 EFLAGS: 00010203 [ 25.695104] RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000001000000 RCX: ffff8eb48aebd220 [ 25.695110] RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff8eb4835e8180 [ 25.695115] RBP: 0000000000000111 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 [ 25.695142] R10: ffff8eb48a7d56c0 R11: ffff8eb482bede00 R12: 00000000004012a7 [ 25.695148] R13: 0000000000000110 R14: 0000000000000001 R15: ffff8eb48a7d56c0 [ 25.695154] FS: 00007f8733bda740(0000) GS:ffff8eb61ce5f000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 [ 25.695162] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 [ 25.695170] CR2: 0000000000000038 CR3: 0000000136994006 CR4: 00000000003706f0 [ 25.695201] Call Trace: [ 25.695209] <TASK> [ 25.695215] __x64_sys_fanotify_mark+0x1f/0x30 [ 25.695222] do_syscall_64+0x82/0x2c0 ...
Title fanotify: Validate the return value of mnt_ns_from_dentry() before dereferencing
References

Subscriptions

Linux Linux Kernel
cve-icon MITRE

Status: PUBLISHED

Assigner: Linux

Published:

Updated: 2026-05-11T21:41:56.450Z

Reserved: 2025-04-16T07:20:57.160Z

Link: CVE-2025-40072

cve-icon Vulnrichment

No data.

cve-icon NVD

Status : Deferred

Published: 2025-10-28T12:15:41.723

Modified: 2026-04-15T00:35:42.020

Link: CVE-2025-40072

cve-icon Redhat

Severity : Moderate

Publid Date: 2025-10-28T00:00:00Z

Links: CVE-2025-40072 - Bugzilla

cve-icon OpenCVE Enrichment

Updated: 2025-10-29T10:57:57Z

Weaknesses

No weakness.