CVE-2025-68749
📋 TL;DR
A race condition in the Linux kernel's Intel Visual Processing Unit (IVPU) driver allows improper memory management during buffer object (BO) unbinding. This can cause kernel warnings and potential memory corruption. Systems using Intel GPUs with the affected IVPU driver are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with Intel Visual Processing Unit (IVPU) driver
📦 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic or system crash leading to denial of service, with potential for memory corruption that could be leveraged for privilege escalation.
Likely Case
Kernel warning messages and system instability during GPU-intensive operations, potentially causing application crashes.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact during GPU context teardown with proper locking in place.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger the race condition through GPU operations. No public exploits known at this time.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel versions containing fixes from commits 00812636df37, 0328bb097bef, d71333ffdd37, fb16493ebd8f
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/00812636df370bedf4e44a0c81b86ea96bca8628
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to a Linux kernel version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel. 3. Verify the IVPU driver is functioning correctly after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable IVPU driver
linuxPrevent loading of the vulnerable IVPU driver module
echo 'blacklist ivpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ivpu.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot
Restrict GPU access
linuxLimit which users can access GPU devices to reduce attack surface
chmod 600 /dev/dri/renderD*
setfacl -m u:username:rw /dev/dri/renderD*
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to the system to prevent untrusted users from triggering the condition.
- Monitor system logs for 'Memory manager not clean during takedown' warnings and investigate any occurrences.
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if the IVPU module is loaded: lsmod | grep ivpu. If loaded, check kernel version against patched versions.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
After patching, verify the kernel version includes the fix commits and test GPU operations that previously triggered warnings.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel messages containing 'Memory manager not clean during takedown'
- GPU-related crash dumps or warnings in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None - this is a local vulnerability
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND "Memory manager not clean during takedown"