CVE-2025-40349 hfs: validate record offset in hfsplus_bmap_alloc

High 7.8 Published Updated

A local attacker can cause a kernel crash via slab-out-of-bounds read in the HFS+ filesystem driver by triggering a specific allocation path.

Exploited in the wild
Not known
Login needed
Any signed-in user
Attackable
Local or same network only
Victim action needed
Not needed
Fix
Available

What is CVE-2025-40349?

CVE-2025-40349 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Dec 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:

hfs: validate record offset in hfsplus_bmap_alloc

hfsplus_bmap_alloc can trigger a crash if a record offset or length is larger than node_size

[ 15.264282] BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in hfsplus_bmap_alloc+0x887/0x8b0 [ 15.265192] Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881085ca188 by task test/183 [ 15.265949] [ 15.266163] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 183 Comm: test Not tainted 6.17.0-rc2-gc17b750b3ad9 #14 PREEMPT(voluntary) [ 15.266165] Hardware name: QEMU Ubuntu 24.04 PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 [ 15.266167] Call Trace: [ 15.266168] <TASK> [ 15.266169] dump_stack_lvl+0x53/0x70 [ 15.266173] print_report+0xd0/0x660 [ 15.266181] kasan_report+0xce/0x100 [ 15.266185] hfsplus_bmap_alloc+0x887/0x8b0 [ 15.266208] hfs_btree_inc_height.isra.0+0xd5/0x7c0 [ 15.266217] hfsplus_brec_insert+0x870/0xb00 [ 15.266222] __hfsplus_ext_write_extent+0x428/0x570 [ 15.266225] __hfsplus_ext_cache_extent+0x5e/0x910 [ 15.266227] hfsplus_ext_read_extent+0x1b2/0x200 [ 15.266233] hfsplus_file_extend+0x5a7/0x1000 [ 15.266237] hfsplus_get_block+0x12b/0x8c0 [ 15.266238] __block_write_begin_int+0x36b/0x12c0 [ 15.266251] block_write_begin+0x77/0x110 [ 15.266252] cont_write_begin+0x428/0x720 [ 15.266259] hfsplus_write_begin+0x51/0x100 [ 15.266262] cont_write_begin+0x272/0x720 [ 15.266270] hfsplus_write_begin+0x51/0x100 [ 15.266274] generic_perform_write+0x321/0x750 [ 15.266285] generic_file_write_iter+0xc3/0x310 [ 15.266289] __kernel_write_iter+0x2fd/0x800 [ 15.266296] dump_user_range+0x2ea/0x910 [ 15.266301] elf_core_dump+0x2a94/0x2ed0 [ 15.266320] vfs_coredump+0x1d85/0x45e0 [ 15.266349] get_signal+0x12e3/0x1990 [ 15.266357] arch_do_signal_or_restart+0x89/0x580 [ 15.266362] irqentry_exit_to_user_mode+0xab/0x110 [ 15.266364] asm_exc_page_fault+0x26/0x30 [ 15.266366] RIP: 0033:0x41bd35 [ 15.266367] Code: bc d1 f3 0f 7f 27 f3 0f 7f 6f 10 f3 0f 7f 77 20 f3 0f 7f 7f 30 49 83 c0 0f 49 29 d0 48 8d 7c 17 31 e9 9f 0b 00 00 66 0f ef c0 <f3> 0f 6f 0e f3 0f 6f 56 10 66 0f 74 c1 66 0f d7 d0 49 83 f8f [ 15.266369] RSP: 002b:00007ffc9e62d078 EFLAGS: 00010283 [ 15.266371] RAX: 00007ffc9e62d100 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000000000000 [ 15.266372] RDX: 00000000000000e0 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 00007ffc9e62d100 [ 15.266373] RBP: 0000400000000040 R08: 00000000000000e0 R09: 0000000000000000 [ 15.266374] R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000000 [ 15.266375] R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000400000000000 [ 15.266376] </TASK>

When calling hfsplus_bmap_alloc to allocate a free node, this function first retrieves the bitmap from header node and map node using node->page together with the offset and length from hfs_brec_lenoff

``` len = hfs_brec_lenoff(node, 2, &off16); off = off16;

off += node->page_offset; pagep = node->page + (off >> PAGE_SHIFT); data = kmap_local_page(*pagep); ```

However, if the retrieved offset or length is invalid(i.e. exceeds node_size), the code may end up accessing pages outside the allocated range for this node.

This patch adds proper validation of both offset and length before use, preventing out-of-bounds page access. Move is_bnode_offset_valid and check_and_correct_requested_length to hfsplus_fs.h, as they may be required by other functions.

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-40349?

How do I fix CVE-2025-40349?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2025-40349 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-40349 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-40349, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-40349, GHSA-fw43-f4rv-3fjg, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-40349, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-40349.

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