CVE-2025-71142: cpuset: fix warning when disabling remote partition
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
cpuset: fix warning when disabling remote partition
A warning was triggered as follows:
WARNING: kernel/cgroup/cpuset.c:1651 at remote_partition_disable+0xf7/0x110
RIP: 0010:remote_partition_disable+0xf7/0x110
RSP: 0018:ffffc90001947d88 EFLAGS: 00000206
RAX: 0000000000007fff RBX: ffff888103b6e000 RCX: 0000000000006f40
RDX: 0000000000006f00 RSI: ffffc90001947da8 RDI: ffff888103b6e000
RBP: ffff888103b6e000 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000001 R11: ffff88810b2e2728 R12: ffffc90001947da8
R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffffc90001947da8 R15: ffff8881081f1c00
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00007f55c8bbe0b2 CR3: 000000010b14c000 CR4: 00000000000006f0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
update_prstate+0x2d3/0x580
cpuset_partition_write+0x94/0xf0
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x147/0x200
vfs_write+0x35d/0x500
ksys_write+0x66/0xe0
do_syscall_64+0x6b/0x390
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
RIP: 0033:0x7f55c8cd4887
Reproduction steps (on a 16-CPU machine):
# cd /sys/fs/cgroup/
# mkdir A1
# echo +cpuset > A1/cgroup.subtree_control
# echo "0-14" > A1/cpuset.cpus.exclusive
# mkdir A1/A2
# echo "0-14" > A1/A2/cpuset.cpus.exclusive
# echo "root" > A1/A2/cpuset.cpus.partition
# echo 0 > /sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu15/online
# echo member > A1/A2/cpuset.cpus.partition
When CPU 15 is offlined, subpartitions_cpus gets cleared because no CPUs
remain available for the top_cpuset, forcing partitions to share CPUs with
the top_cpuset. In this scenario, disabling the remote partition triggers
a warning stating that effective_xcpus is not a subset of
subpartitions_cpus. Partitions should be invalidated in this case to
inform users that the partition is now invalid(cpus are shared with
top_cpuset).
To fix this issue:
1. Only emit the warning only if subpartitions_cpus is not empty and the
effective_xcpus is not a subset of subpartitions_cpus.
2. During the CPU hotplug process, invalidate partitions if
subpartitions_cpus is empty.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
This is a Linux kernel cpuset bug that can leave CPU partition state invalid during CPU hotplug activity and trigger a kernel warning. The source does not describe data theft, privilege escalation, or remote attack. Business urgency depends on whether affected kernels use cpuset partitions and CPU offline operations.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted Linux kernel reliability issue with incomplete impact data. It should enter normal vulnerability management, with higher priority for infrastructure relying on cpuset partitioning, CPU isolation, or dynamic CPU hotplug behavior.
Technical view
The issue is in kernel cgroup cpuset partition handling. When a CPU is offlined and no CPUs remain available for the top cpuset, subpartition tracking can be cleared. Disabling a remote partition can then warn on an invalid subset condition instead of invalidating affected partitions.
Likely exposure
Exposure appears limited to Linux systems running affected kernel builds listed in the CVE data, especially environments using cgroup cpuset partitioning with CPU hotplug or CPU offline workflows. The bundle does not identify affected distributions or appliances.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is cited, and the CVE is not marked KEV in the provided bundle. The public description includes local reproduction conditions, but no exploit impact or weaponized abuse is documented here.
Researcher notes
The fix changes warning conditions and invalidates partitions when subpartitions_cpus is empty during CPU hotplug. Evidence supports a kernel correctness and state-validity bug; security impact remains unstated in the provided sources.
Mitigation direction
Check vendor or distribution kernel advisories for backported fixes.
Prioritize kernels matching the CVE affected records and stable references.
Avoid unnecessary CPU offline operations on cpuset-partitioned systems until patched.
Plan kernel updates through normal maintenance windows unless vendor severity changes.
Validation and detection
Inventory running Linux kernel versions against the CVE record.
Identify hosts using cgroup cpuset partition features.
Review kernel logs for cpuset warnings during CPU hotplug events.
Confirm whether referenced stable commits are included downstream.
Track vendor advisories for clarified impact and fixed package versions.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
cve · low confidence lookup
CVE-2025-71142 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
3Source links
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Jan 14, 2026, 15:07 UTC (UTC+00:00)
CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.