# CVE-2025-68740: ima: Handle error code returned by ima_filter_rule_match()

> A logic error in the Linux kernel IMA subsystem allows bypassing integrity measurement rules, potentially hiding unauthorized file executions from audit logs.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **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:** Yes
- **Published:** 24 Dec 2025
- **Updated:** 16 Jun 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-73132, BELL-CVE-2025-68740, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68740, GHSA-c6v5-xpx3-j3vp, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-68740, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68740, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-68740, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68740, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68740

## What is CVE-2025-68740?

CVE-2025-68740 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 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:

ima: Handle error code returned by ima_filter_rule_match()

In ima_match_rules(), if ima_filter_rule_match() returns -ENOENT due to
the rule being NULL, the function incorrectly skips the 'if (!rc)' check
and sets 'result = true'. The LSM rule is considered a match, causing
extra files to be measured by IMA.

This issue can be reproduced in the following scenario:
After unloading the SELinux policy module via 'semodule -d', if an IMA
measurement is triggered before ima_lsm_rules is updated,
in ima_match_rules(), the first call to ima_filter_rule_match() returns
-ESTALE. This causes the code to enter the 'if (rc == -ESTALE &&
!rule_reinitialized)' block, perform ima_lsm_copy_rule() and retry. In
ima_lsm_copy_rule(), since the SELinux module has been removed, the rule
becomes NULL, and the second call to ima_filter_rule_match() returns
-ENOENT. This bypasses the 'if (!rc)' check and results in a false match.

Call trace:
  selinux_audit_rule_match+0x310/0x3b8
  security_audit_rule_match+0x60/0xa0
  ima_match_rules+0x2e4/0x4a0
  ima_match_policy+0x9c/0x1e8
  ima_get_action+0x48/0x60
  process_measurement+0xf8/0xa98
  ima_bprm_check+0x98/0xd8
  security_bprm_check+0x5c/0x78
  search_binary_handler+0x6c/0x318
  exec_binprm+0x58/0x1b8
  bprm_execve+0xb8/0x130
  do_execveat_common.isra.0+0x1a8/0x258
  __arm64_sys_execve+0x48/0x68
  invoke_syscall+0x50/0x128
  el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0xc8/0xf0
  do_el0_svc+0x24/0x38
  el0_svc+0x44/0x200
  el0t_64_sync_handler+0x100/0x130
  el0t_64_sync+0x3c8/0x3d0

Fix this by changing 'if (!rc)' to 'if (rc <= 0)' to ensure that error
codes like -ENOENT do not bypass the check and accidentally result in a
successful match.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68740?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-68740?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-68740 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68740 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68740 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-68740 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 24 Dec 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68740 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-2025-68740/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68740/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68740
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68740
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68740

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68740/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.