Linus Torvalds released Linux kernel 6.18-rc7 on November 23, 2025, fixing a core virtual memory regression from rc6 and adding driver updates for stability ahead of the final 6.18 release next weekend.
The rc6 build suffered a late virtual memory issue due to a naming confusion in a VM fix. However, developers resolved it quickly without broader concerns about kernel stability.
This rc7 pull includes fewer changes than rc6, focusing on routine fixes like GPU and networking drivers, architecture tweaks for LoongArch, MIPS, and ARM64, core networking, and documentation.
A standout SELinux patch renames variables in cred_security_struct to address confusion caused by poor naming.
Critical Subsystem Fixes
Several patches address potential security risks through memory management and error handling.
For example, mm/huge_memory fixes huge zero folio initialization to prevent VM faults. Networking sees MPTCP race fixes in mptcp_schedule_work and pm_del_add_timer to avoid drops or premature closes during fallback.
Filesystem changes include vfat and exfat checks on sb_min_blocksize return values, plus xfs and isofs updates to handle block-size errors properly.
Other notable security-related work includes memory leaks in HID PlayStation DualShock4_get_calibration_data and uclogic paths, double-kfree in s390/ctcm, and NULL derefs in net/core/hwtstamp_ioctl_lower.
XFRM updates check inner packet families based on skb_dst and prevent direct local packet output in tunnels.
Sched_ext patches fix uninitialized variables, unsafe locking in scx_dump_state, and deadlocks in deferred_irq_workfn.
Hardware and Driver Enhancements
Driver updates dominate, with ARM64 DTS fixes for Rockchip RK3576/3588 PCIe/USB power pins, I2S on odroid-m1, and Broadcom eth clocks on RPi5.
Platform/x86 gains AMD PMC for Van Gogh SoC, Xbox Ally, Lenovo Legion Go quirks, and Alienware m16 support. DRM/AMD patches prevent DTBCLK gating issues and fix the PBN-to-kbps conversion.
GPU drivers include i915 DMC load for Xe3_LPD, amdgpu SR-IOV VF checks for VCN reset. NVMe fixes admin queue lifetime and multipath lockdep warnings.
These changes improve hardware compatibility without new features, signaling readiness for stable release.
