CVE-2025-39782 jbd2: prevent softlockup in jbd2_log_do_checkpoint()

What is CVE-2025-39782?

CVE-2025-39782 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 11 Sep 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

Official description

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

jbd2: prevent softlockup in jbd2_log_do_checkpoint()

Both jbd2_log_do_checkpoint() and jbd2_journal_shrink_checkpoint_list() periodically release j_list_lock after processing a batch of buffers to avoid long hold times on the j_list_lock. However, since both functions contend for j_list_lock, the combined time spent waiting and processing can be significant.

jbd2_journal_shrink_checkpoint_list() explicitly calls cond_resched() when need_resched() is true to avoid softlockups during prolonged operations. But jbd2_log_do_checkpoint() only exits its loop when need_resched() is true, relying on potentially sleeping functions like __flush_batch() or wait_on_buffer() to trigger rescheduling. If those functions do not sleep, the kernel may hit a softlockup.

watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 156s! [kworker/u129:2:373] CPU: 3 PID: 373 Comm: kworker/u129:2 Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.6.0+ #10 Hardware name: Huawei TaiShan 2280 /BC11SPCD, BIOS 1.27 06/13/2017 Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-7:2) pstate: 20000005 (nzCv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x358/0x418 lr : jbd2_log_do_checkpoint+0x31c/0x438 [jbd2] Call trace: native_queued_spin_lock_slowpath+0x358/0x418 jbd2_log_do_checkpoint+0x31c/0x438 [jbd2] __jbd2_log_wait_for_space+0xfc/0x2f8 [jbd2] add_transaction_credits+0x3bc/0x418 [jbd2] start_this_handle+0xf8/0x560 [jbd2] jbd2__journal_start+0x118/0x228 [jbd2] __ext4_journal_start_sb+0x110/0x188 [ext4] ext4_do_writepages+0x3dc/0x740 [ext4] ext4_writepages+0xa4/0x190 [ext4] do_writepages+0x94/0x228 __writeback_single_inode+0x48/0x318 writeback_sb_inodes+0x204/0x590 __writeback_inodes_wb+0x54/0xf8 wb_writeback+0x2cc/0x3d8 wb_do_writeback+0x2e0/0x2f8 wb_workfn+0x80/0x2a8 process_one_work+0x178/0x3e8 worker_thread+0x234/0x3b8 kthread+0xf0/0x108 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

So explicitly call cond_resched() in jbd2_log_do_checkpoint() to avoid softlockup.

Weakness: CWE-667

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-39782?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2025-39782?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is CVE-2025-39782 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-39782 in the wild and no public exploit code.

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All Debian Debian Linux vulnerabilities

Sources

• CVE record
• NVD
• OSV
• GitHub advisory
• How this page is made

Also known as AZL-74676, BELL-CVE-2025-39782, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-39782, GHSA-38p5-w7j2-vwrv, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-39782, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-39782 and 4 more.