CVE-2025-40100: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: do not assert we found block group item when creating free space tree Currently, wh

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: do not assert we found block group item when creating free space tree Currently, wh

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: do not assert we found block group item when creating free space tree Currently, when building a free space tree at populate_free_space_tree(), if we are not using the block group tree feature, we always expect to find block group items (either extent items or a block group item with key type BTRFS_BLOCK_GROUP_ITEM_KEY) when we search the extent tree with btrfs_search_slot_for_read(), so we assert that we found an item. However this expectation is wrong since we can have a new block group created in the current transaction which is still empty and for which we still have not added the block group's item to the extent tree, in which case we do not have any items in the extent tree associated to the block group. The insertion of a new block group's block group item in the extent tree happens at btrfs_create_pending_block_groups() when it calls the helper insert_block_group_item(). This typically is done when a transaction handle is released, committed or when running delayed refs (either as part of a transaction commit or when serving tickets for space reservation if we are low on free space). So remove th

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.20%, higher than 9% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored November 6, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

Weekly security brief

The flaws that hit local websites, every Friday.

One short email: what got exploited this week, which WordPress plugins broke, and what to check. Unsubscribe in one click.