Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
cgroup,freezer: hold cpu_hotplug_lock before freezer_mutex
syzbot is reporting circular locking dependency between cpu_hotplug_lock
and freezer_mutex, for commit f5d39b020809 ("freezer,sched: Rewrite core
freezer logic") replaced atomic_inc() in freezer_apply_state() with
static_branch_inc() which holds cpu_hotplug_lock.
cpu_hotplug_lock => cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem => freezer_mutex
cgroup_file_write() {
cgroup_procs_write() {
__cgroup_procs_write() {
cgroup_procs_write_start() {
cgroup_attach_lock() {
cpus_read_lock() {
percpu_down_read(&cpu_hotplug_lock);
}
percpu_down_write(&cgroup_threadgroup_rwsem);
}
}
cgroup_attach_task() {
cgroup_migrate() {
cgroup_migrate_execute() {
freezer_attach() {
mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex);
(...snipped...)
}
}
}
}
(...snipped...)
}
}
}
freezer_mutex => cpu_hotplug_lock
cgroup_file_write() {
freezer_write() {
freezer_change_state() {
mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex);
freezer_apply_state() {
static_branch_inc(&freezer_active) {
static_key_slow_inc() {
cpus_read_lock();
static_key_slow_inc_cpuslocked();
cpus_read_unlock();
}
}
}
mutex_unlock(&freezer_mutex);
}
}
}
Swap locking order by moving cpus_read_lock() in freezer_apply_state()
to before mutex_lock(&freezer_mutex) in freezer_change_state().
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.1 | 6.1.25 |
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 14 | linux | 6.1.25-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 6.1.25-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 6.1.25-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-intel +9 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +32 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +28 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +14 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe-edge | No fix yet | — |
Amazon Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Linux 2023 | kernel-livepatch-6.1.25-37.47 | 1.0-0.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-169 |
| Amazon Linux 2023 | perf +12 | 6.1.25-37.47.amzn2023 | ALAS2023-2023-169 |
Advisories 2
- WID-SEC-2025-2187 Linux Kernel: Mehrere Schwachstellen ermöglichen Denial of Service BSI CERT-Bund (WID) · Oct 18, 2026
- ALAS2023-2023-169 Important: kernel security update (Amazon Linux 2023) Amazon Linux Security Center (ALAS) · Feb 8, 2026