# CVE-2025-68218: nvme-multipath: fix lockdep WARN due to partition scan work

> A race condition in the Linux kernel NVMe multipath driver can cause a deadlock, leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 16 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-68218, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68218, GHSA-7fq2-6xq4-hq67, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68218, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68218

## What is CVE-2025-68218?

CVE-2025-68218 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Dec 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

nvme-multipath: fix lockdep WARN due to partition scan work

Blktests test cases nvme/014, 057 and 058 fail occasionally due to a
lockdep WARN. As reported in the Closes tag URL, the WARN indicates that
a deadlock can happen due to the dependency among disk->open_mutex,
kblockd workqueue completion and partition_scan_work completion.

To avoid the lockdep WARN and the potential deadlock, cut the dependency
by running the partition_scan_work not by kblockd workqueue but by
nvme_wq.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68218?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68218?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68218 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68218 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68218 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux, published on 16 Dec 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68218 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68218/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68218/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68218
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68218
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68218

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68218/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.