# CVE-2025-71225: md: suspend array while updating raid_disks via sysfs

> A race condition in the Linux kernel md driver allows out-of-bounds memory access during RAID disk updates, potentially leading to code execution or system crashes.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:H`)
- **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:** 18 Feb 2026
- **Updated:** 21 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-77874, BELL-CVE-2025-71225, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-71225, GHSA-hr98-gm7c-926r, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-71225, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-71225, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-71225, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-71225, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-71225

## What is CVE-2025-71225?

CVE-2025-71225 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Feb 2026. 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:

md: suspend array while updating raid_disks via sysfs

In raid1_reshape(), freeze_array() is called before modifying the r1bio
memory pool (conf->r1bio_pool) and conf->raid_disks, and
unfreeze_array() is called after the update is completed.

However, freeze_array() only waits until nr_sync_pending and
(nr_pending - nr_queued) of all buckets reaches zero. When an I/O error
occurs, nr_queued is increased and the corresponding r1bio is queued to
either retry_list or bio_end_io_list. As a result, freeze_array() may
unblock before these r1bios are released.

This can lead to a situation where conf->raid_disks and the mempool have
already been updated while queued r1bios, allocated with the old
raid_disks value, are later released. Consequently, free_r1bio() may
access memory out of bounds in put_all_bios() and release r1bios of the
wrong size to the new mempool, potentially causing issues with the
mempool as well.

Since only normal I/O might increase nr_queued while an I/O error occurs,
suspending the array avoids this issue.

Note: Updating raid_disks via ioctl SET_ARRAY_INFO already suspends
the array. Therefore, we suspend the array when updating raid_disks
via sysfs to avoid this issue too.

Weakness: CWE-367 (Time-of-check Time-of-use (TOCTOU) Race Condition), CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-71225?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-71225?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-71225 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-71225 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-71225 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-71225 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 18 Feb 2026. 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-2025-71225 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2025-71225/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-71225/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71225
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-71225
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-71225

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-71225/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.