---
id: CVE-2025-71079
title: 'net: nfc: fix deadlock between nfc_unregister_device and rfkill_fop_write'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net: nfc: fix deadlock between nfc_unregister_device and rfkill_fop_write

  A deadlock can occur between nfc_unregister_device() and rfkill_fop_write()
  due to lock order…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 73a0d12114b4bc1a9def79a623264754b9df698e <
    2e0831e9fc46a06daa6d4d8d57a2738e343130c3
  - >-
    Linux >= 8a9c61c3ef187d8891225f9b932390670a43a0d3 <
    e02a1c33f10a0ed3aba855ab8ae2b6c4c5be8012
  - >-
    Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <
    ee41f4f3ccf8cd6ba3732e867abbec7e6d8d12e5
  - >-
    Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <
    6b93c8ab6f6cda8818983a4ae3fcf84b023037b4
  - >-
    Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <
    8fc4632fb508432895430cd02b38086bdd649083
  - >-
    Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <
    f3a8a7c1aa278f2378b2f3a10500c6674dffdfda
  - >-
    Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 <
    1ab526d97a57e44d26fadcc0e9adeb9c0c0182f5
  - Linux 5ef16d2d172ee56714cff37cd005b98aba08ef5a
  - Linux ff169909eac9e00bf1aa0af739ba6ddfb1b1d135
  - Linux 47244ac0b65bd74cc70007d8e1bac68bd2baad19
  - Linux c45cea83e13699bdfd47842e04d09dd43af4c371
  - Linux 307d2e6cebfca9d92f86c8e2c8e3dd4a8be46ba6
  - Linux >= 5.10.82 < 5.10.248
  - Linux >= 5.15.5 < 5.15.198
  - Linux >= 4.4.293 < 4.5
  - Linux >= 4.9.291 < 4.10
  - Linux >= 4.14.256 < 4.15
  - Linux >= 4.19.218 < 4.20
  - Linux >= 5.4.162 < 5.5
  - Linux 5.16
published: '2026-01-13'
updated: '2026-09-08'
sourceUpdated: '2026-09-08T08:43:43.375Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71079'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2e0831e9fc46a06daa6d4d8d57a2738e343130c3'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e02a1c33f10a0ed3aba855ab8ae2b6c4c5be8012'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee41f4f3ccf8cd6ba3732e867abbec7e6d8d12e5'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b93c8ab6f6cda8818983a4ae3fcf84b023037b4'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8fc4632fb508432895430cd02b38086bdd649083'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3a8a7c1aa278f2378b2f3a10500c6674dffdfda'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1ab526d97a57e44d26fadcc0e9adeb9c0c0182f5'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00102
epssPercentile: 0.01044
ingestedAt: '2026-09-08T15:33:26.995Z'
---

## Overview

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: nfc: fix deadlock between nfc_unregister_device and rfkill_fop_write

A deadlock can occur between nfc_unregister_device() and rfkill_fop_write()
due to lock ordering inversion between device_lock and rfkill_global_mutex.

The problematic lock order is:

Thread A (rfkill_fop_write):
  rfkill_fop_write()
    mutex_lock(&rfkill_global_mutex)
      rfkill_set_block()
        nfc_rfkill_set_block()
          nfc_dev_down()
            device_lock(&dev->dev)    <- waits for device_lock

Thread B (nfc_unregister_device):
  nfc_unregister_device()
    device_lock(&dev->dev)
      rfkill_unregister()
        mutex_lock(&rfkill_global_mutex)  <- waits for rfkill_global_mutex

This creates a classic ABBA deadlock scenario.

Fix this by moving rfkill_unregister() and rfkill_destroy() outside the
device_lock critical section. Store the rfkill pointer in a local variable
before releasing the lock, then call rfkill_unregister() after releasing
device_lock.

This change is safe because rfkill_fop_write() holds rfkill_global_mutex
while calling the rfkill callbacks, and rfkill_unregister() also acquires
rfkill_global_mutex before cleanup. Therefore, rfkill_unregister() will
wait for any ongoing callback to complete before proceeding, and
device_del() is only called after rfkill_unregister() returns, preventing
any use-after-free.

The similar lock ordering in nfc_register_device() (device_lock ->
rfkill_global_mutex via rfkill_register) is safe because during
registration the device is not yet in rfkill_list, so no concurrent
rfkill operations can occur on this device.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 73a0d12114b4bc1a9def79a623264754b9df698e < 2e0831e9fc46a06daa6d4d8d57a2738e343130c3`
- `Linux >= 8a9c61c3ef187d8891225f9b932390670a43a0d3 < e02a1c33f10a0ed3aba855ab8ae2b6c4c5be8012`
- `Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 < ee41f4f3ccf8cd6ba3732e867abbec7e6d8d12e5`
- `Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 < 6b93c8ab6f6cda8818983a4ae3fcf84b023037b4`
- `Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 < 8fc4632fb508432895430cd02b38086bdd649083`
- `Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 < f3a8a7c1aa278f2378b2f3a10500c6674dffdfda`
- `Linux >= 3e3b5dfcd16a3e254aab61bd1e8c417dd4503102 < 1ab526d97a57e44d26fadcc0e9adeb9c0c0182f5`
- `Linux 5ef16d2d172ee56714cff37cd005b98aba08ef5a`
- `Linux ff169909eac9e00bf1aa0af739ba6ddfb1b1d135`
- `Linux 47244ac0b65bd74cc70007d8e1bac68bd2baad19`
- `Linux c45cea83e13699bdfd47842e04d09dd43af4c371`
- `Linux 307d2e6cebfca9d92f86c8e2c8e3dd4a8be46ba6`
- `Linux >= 5.10.82 < 5.10.248`
- `Linux >= 5.15.5 < 5.15.198`
- `Linux >= 4.4.293 < 4.5`
- `Linux >= 4.9.291 < 4.10`
- `Linux >= 4.14.256 < 4.15`
- `Linux >= 4.19.218 < 4.20`
- `Linux >= 5.4.162 < 5.5`
- `Linux 5.16`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.