# CVE-2025-40043: net: nfc: nci: Add parameter validation for packet data

- Severity: CVSS 8.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-10-28 · Updated: 2026-08-05

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 3.2

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: nfc: nci: Add parameter validation for packet data Syzbot reported an uninitialized value bug in nci_init_req, which was introduced by commit 5aca7966d2a7 ("Merge tag 'perf-tools-fixes-for-v6.17-2025-09-16' of git://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/perf/perf-tools"). This bug arises due to very limited and poor input validation that was done at nic_valid_size(). This validation only validates the skb->len (directly reflects size provided at the userspace interface) with the length provided in the buffer itself (interpreted as NCI_HEADER). This leads to the processing of memory content at the address assuming the correct layout per what opcode requires there. This leads to the accesses to buffer of `skb_buff->data` which is not assigned anything yet. Following the same silent drop of packets of invalid sizes at `nic_valid_size()`, add validation of the data in the respective handlers and return error values in case of failure. Release the skb if error values are returned from handlers in `nci_nft_packet` and effectively do a silent drop Possible TODO: because we silently drop the packets, the call to `nci_request` will be waiting for completion of request and will face timeouts. These timeouts can get excessively logged in the dmesg. A proper handling of them may require to export `nci_request_cancel` (or propagate error handling from the nft packets handlers).

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
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## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8fcc7315a10a84264e55bb65ede10f0af20a983f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bfdda0123dde406dbff62e7e9136037e97998a15
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0ba68bea1e356f466ad29449938bea12f5f3711f
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/74837bca0748763a77f77db47a0bdbe63b347628
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c395d1e548cc68e84584ffa2e3ca9796a78bf7b9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9c328f54741bd5465ca1dc717c84c04242fac2e1

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