CVE-2025-71109

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.17%

Last modified

CVE-2025-71109 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: ftrace: Fix memory corruption when kernel is located beyond 32 bits Since commit e424054000878 ("MIPS: Tracing: Reduce the overhead of dynamic Function Tracer"), the macro UASM_i_LA_mostly has been used, and this macro can generate more than 2 instructions. At the same time, the code in ftrace assumes that no more than 2 instructions can be generated, which is why it stores them in an int[2] array. EPSS estimates a 0.17% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: ftrace: Fix memory corruption when kernel is located beyond 32 bits Since commit e424054000878 ("MIPS: Tracing: Reduce the overhead of dynamic Function Tracer"), the macro UASM_i_LA_mostly has been used, and this macro can generate more than 2 instructions. At the same time, the code in ftrace assumes that no more than 2 instructions can be generated, which is why it stores them in an int[2] array. However, as previously noted, the macro UASM_i_LA_mostly (and now UASM_i_LA) causes a buffer overflow when _mcount is beyond 32 bits. This leads to corruption of the variables located in the __read_mostly section. This corruption was observed because the variable __cpu_primary_thread_mask was corrupted, causing a hang very early during boot. This fix prevents the corruption by avoiding the generation of instructions if they could exceed 2 instructions in length. Fortunately, insn_la_mcount is only used if the instrumented code is located outside the kernel code section, so dynamic ftrace can still be used, albeit in a more limited scope. This is still preferable to corrupting memory and/or crashing the kernel.

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
0.17%

6.7th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 2.6.35.1, < 6.12.64
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.18.3
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.35
LinuxLinux Kernel6.19Rc1

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-71109?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: MIPS: ftrace: Fix memory corruption when kernel is located beyond 32 bits Since commit e424054000878 ("MIPS: Tracing: Reduce the overhead of dynamic Function Tracer"), the macro UASM_i_LA_mostly has been used, and this macro can generate more than 2 instructions. At the same time, the code in ftrace assumes that no more than 2 instructions can be generated, which is why it stores them in an int[2] array. However, as previously noted, the macro UASM_i_LA_mostly (and now UASM_i_LA) causes a buffer overflow when _mcount is beyond 32 bits. This leads to corruption of the variables located in the __read_mostly section. This corruption was observed because the variable __cpu_primary_thread_mask was corrupted, causing a hang very early during boot. This fix prevents the corruption by avoiding the generation of instructions if they could exceed 2 instructions in length. Fortunately, insn_la_mcount is only used if the instrumented code is located outside the kernel code section, so dynamic ftrace can still be used, albeit in a more limited scope. This is still preferable to corrupting memory and/or crashing the kernel.
How severe is CVE-2025-71109?
CVE-2025-71109 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.17% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-71109?
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-2025-71109?

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

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Source: NVD / NIST