CVE-2025-40779

CVE-2025-40779 is a high-severity vulnerability with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-476.

Key facts

Description

If a DHCPv4 client sends a request with some specific options, and Kea fails to find an appropriate subnet for the client, the `kea-dhcp4` process will abort with an assertion failure. This happens only if the client request is unicast directly to Kea; broadcast messages do not cause the problem. This issue affects Kea versions 2.7.1 through 2.7.9, 3.0.0, and 3.1.0.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-40779?
If a DHCPv4 client sends a request with some specific options, and Kea fails to find an appropriate subnet for the client, the `kea-dhcp4` process will abort with an assertion failure. This happens only if the client request is unicast directly to Kea; broadcast messages do not cause the problem. This issue affects Kea versions 2.7.1 through 2.7.9, 3.0.0, and 3.1.0.
How severe is CVE-2025-40779?
CVE-2025-40779 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-40779 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (39th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-40779?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
Does CVE-2025-40779 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-40779 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-27981.
When was CVE-2025-40779 published?
CVE-2025-40779 was published on 2025-08-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Other CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities

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