CVE-2025-68223 – This CVE addresses a potential deadlock vulnera... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2025-68223?

CVE-2025-68223 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE addresses a potential deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Radeon graphics driver. When checking if a fence is signaled, the driver could attempt to progress the wait queue while holding the fence lock, potentially causing a self-deadlock. This affects Linux systems using Radeon graphics hardware.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE addresses a potential deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's Radeon graphics driver. When checking if a fence is signaled, the driver could attempt to progress the wait queue while holding the fence lock, potentially causing a self-deadlock. This affects Linux systems using Radeon graphics hardware.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with Radeon DRM driver

Versions: Specific affected kernel versions not specified in CVE, but fix is backported to stable branches

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Radeon graphics hardware and the radeon kernel driver enabled.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

System deadlock leading to denial of service, potentially requiring hard reboot and causing system instability.

🟠

Likely Case

System hangs or performance degradation when graphics operations trigger the deadlock condition.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact from fence signaling checks, but no deadlock or system instability.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel driver issue not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could potentially trigger the deadlock, affecting system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires triggering specific graphics operations that cause the deadlock condition.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commit 527ba26e50ec2ca2be9c7c82f3ad42998a75d0db or backports

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73bc12d6a547f9571ce4393acfd73c004e2df9e5

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Reboot system. 3. Verify kernel version includes the fix commit.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable Radeon driver

linux

Temporarily disable the radeon kernel module if not needed

echo 'blacklist radeon' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system for hangs and have reboot procedures ready
Consider using alternative graphics drivers if available

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if radeon module is loaded: lsmod | grep radeon

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version includes fix commit: git log --oneline | grep 527ba26e50ec2ca2be9c7c82f3ad42998a75d0db

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
System hang events in system logs
Graphics driver timeout errors

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("deadlock" OR "hang" OR "radeon")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2025-68223

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE: CWE-667

EPSS Score: 0.03% exploit probability (6.6th percentile)

Published: December 16, 2025

Last Updated: February 26, 2026

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

📄 Export Markdown 📋 Export JSON

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

If you're affected by CVE-2025-68223, you might also want to check these: