CVE-2020-25641

Name: CVE-2020-25641
Creator: NVD / NIST
Published: 2020-10-06T14:15:12.603+00:00
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.38%

Last modified Jun 17, 2026

CVE-2020-25641 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's implementation of biovecs in versions before 5.9-rc7. A zero-length biovec request issued by the block subsystem could cause the kernel to enter an infinite loop, causing a denial of service. EPSS estimates a 0.38% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's implementation of biovecs in versions before 5.9-rc7. A zero-length biovec request issued by the block subsystem could cause the kernel to enter an infinite loop, causing a denial of service. This flaw allows a local attacker with basic privileges to issue requests to a block device, resulting in a denial of service. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

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

EPSS Probability

0.38%

29.9th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	<= 5.8.13
Linux	Linux Kernel	5.9.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	7.0
Redhat	Enterprise Linux	8.0
Opensuse	Leap	15.1
Opensuse	Leap	15.2
Debian	Debian Linux	9.0
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	18.04
Canonical	Ubuntu Linux	20.04

References

http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00042.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/10/06/9Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881424Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=7e24969022cbd61ddc586f14824fc205661bb124Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4576-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/block/biovecs.htmlVendor Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00021.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2020-10/msg00042.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/10/06/9Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1881424Issue Tracking, Patch, Third Party Advisory
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=7e24969022cbd61ddc586f14824fc205661bb124Mailing List, Patch, Vendor Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00032.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/10/msg00034.htmlMailing List, Third Party Advisory
https://usn.ubuntu.com/4576-1/Third Party Advisory
https://www.kernel.org/doc/html/latest/block/biovecs.htmlVendor Advisory

Timeline

Published: Oct 6, 2020
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2020-25641?

How severe is CVE-2020-25641?

CVE-2020-25641 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.38% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2020-25641?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

Are you affected by CVE-2020-25641?

Run a free Strix scan to check your systems for this vulnerability.

Scan your code now

Source: NVD / NIST