CVE-2025-40277

Vulnerability

Overview

The Linux kernel's vmwgfx driver, which provides graphics support for VMware virtual GPUs, lacks proper validation of command header sizes against the SVGA_CMD_MAX_DATASIZE constant. The command header data originates from userspace and is subsequently used in buffer offset calculations. Without a size check, these calculations can overflow, leading to an out-of-bounds memory access [1][2][3].

Exploitation

An attacker with local access to the system and the ability to submit command buffers to the vmwgfx driver can craft a command header whose size exceeds the maximum allowed. The driver then uses this oversized value in offset arithmetic without bounds checking, potentially causing an integer overflow. This overflow can be leveraged to read or write memory outside the intended buffer boundaries.

Impact

Successful exploitation could allow an attacker to corrupt kernel memory, leading to information disclosure or privilege escalation. Because the vulnerability is in a kernel driver, an attacker who gains arbitrary read/write access may be able to elevate privileges to root or escape container boundaries.

Mitigation

The fix has been applied in the Linux kernel stable tree via commits [1], [2], and [3]. Users should update to a kernel version that includes these patches. No workaround is available; updating the kernel is the recommended course of action.