CVE-2025-71202
Published: February 14, 2026· Updated: Feb 18, 2026
Official Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
iommu/sva: invalidate stale IOTLB entries for kernel address space
Introduce a new IOMMU interface to flush IOTLB paging cache entries for
the CPU kernel address space. This interface is invoked from the x86
architecture code that manages combined user and kernel page tables,
specifically before any kernel page table page is freed and reused.
This addresses the main issue with vfree() which is a common occurrence
and can be triggered by unprivileged users. While this resolves the
primary problem, it doesn't address some extremely rare case related to
memory unplug of memory that was present as reserved memory at boot, which
cannot be triggered by unprivileged users. The discussion can be found at
the link below.
Enable SVA on x86 architecture since the IOMMU can now receive
notification to flush the paging cache before freeing the CPU kernel page
table pages.
Technical Analysis
CVE-2025-71202 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.
Exploitation requires some privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.
Affected Vendors & Products
Exploit & PoC Resources
All References (2)
Quick Facts
Recommended Actions
- →Apply vendor patches immediately
- →Monitor CVE-2025-71202 in threat intel feeds
- →Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts