CVE-2025-40196

Published Nov 12, 2025 Modified Apr 15, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs: quota: create dedicated workqueue for quota_release_work There is a kernel panic due to WARN_ONCE when panic_on_warn is set. This issue occurs when writeback is triggered due to sync call for an opened file(ie, writeback reason is WB_REASON_SYNC). When f2fs balance is needed at sync path, flush for quota_release_work is triggered. By default quota_release_work is queued to "events_unbound" queue which does not have WQ_MEM_RECLAIM flag. During f2fs balance "writeback" workqueue tries to flush quota_release_work causing kernel panic due to MEM_RECLAIM flag mismatch errors. This patch creates dedicated workqueue with WQ_MEM_RECLAIM flag for work quota_release_work. ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 14867 at kernel/workqueue.c:3721 check_flush_dependency+0x13c/0x148 Call trace: check_flush_dependency+0x13c/0x148 __flush_work+0xd0/0x398 flush_delayed_work+0x44/0x5c dquot_writeback_dquots+0x54/0x318 f2fs_do_quota_sync+0xb8/0x1a8 f2fs_write_checkpoint+0x3cc/0x99c f2fs_gc+0x190/0x750 f2fs_balance_fs+0x110/0x168 f2fs_write_single_data_page+0x474/0x7dc f2fs_write_data_pages+0x7d0/0xd0c do_writepages+0xe0/0x2f4 __writeback_single_inode+0x44/0x4ac writeback_sb_inodes+0x30c/0x538 wb_writeback+0xf4/0x440 wb_workfn+0x128/0x5d4 process_scheduled_works+0x1c4/0x45c worker_thread+0x32c/0x3e8 kthread+0x11c/0x1b0 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Kernel panic - not syncing: kernel: panic_on_warn set ...

Is your site exposed to CVE-2025-40196?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-40196? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs: quota: create dedicated workqueue for quota_release_work There is a kernel panic due to WARN_ONCE when panic_on_warn is set. This issue occurs when writeback is triggered due to sync call for an opened file(ie, writeback reason is WB_REASON_SYNC). When f2fs balance is needed at sync path, flush for quota_release_work is triggered. By default quota_release_work is queued to "events_unbound" queue which does not have WQ_MEM_RECLAIM flag. During f2fs balance "writeback" workqueue tries to flush quota_release_work causing kernel panic due to MEM_RECLAIM flag mismatch errors. This patch creates dedicated workqueue with WQ_MEM_RECLAIM flag for work quota_release_work. ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 14867 at kernel/workqueue.c:3721 check_flush_dependency+0x13c/0x148 Call trace: check_flush_dependency+0x13c/0x148 __flush_work+0xd0/0x398 flush_delayed_work+0x44/0x5c dquot_writeback_dquots+0x54/0x318 f2fs_do_quota_sync+0xb8/0x1a8 f2fs_write_checkpoint+0x3cc/0x99c f2fs_gc+0x190/0x750 f2fs_balance_fs+0x110/0x168 f2fs_write_single_data_page+0x474/0x7dc f2fs_write_data_pages+0x7d0/0xd0c do_writepages+0xe0/0x2f4 __writeback_single_inode+0x44/0x4ac writeback_sb_inodes+0x30c/0x538 wb_writeback+0xf4/0x440 wb_workfn+0x128/0x5d4 process_scheduled_works+0x1c4/0x45c worker_thread+0x32c/0x3e8 kthread+0x11c/0x1b0 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Kernel panic - not syncing: kernel: panic_on_warn set ...
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-40196? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

Don't wait for an exploit

Scan your website for vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-40196 — free, no signup required.