high CVSS 7.8 EPSS <0.1%

CVE-2025-21631·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: block, bfq: fix waker_bfqq UAF after bfq_split_bfqq() Our syzkaller report a following UAF for v6.6: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in bfq_init_rq+0x175d/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6958 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881b57147d8 by task fsstress/232726 CPU: 2 PID: 232726 Comm: fsstress Not tainted 6.6.0-g3629d1885222 #39 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x91/0xf0 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x66/0x300 mm/kasan/report.c:364 print_report+0x3e/0x70 mm/kasan/report.c:475 kasan_report+0xb8/0xf0 mm/kasan/report.c:588 hlist_add_head include/linux/list.h:1023 [inline] bfq_init_rq+0x175d/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6958 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0xe8/0xa20 block/bfq-iosched.c:6271 bfq_insert_requests+0x27f/0x390 block/bfq-iosched.c:6323 blk_mq_insert_request+0x290/0x8f0 block/blk-mq.c:2660 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x1021/0x15e0 block/blk-mq.c:3143 __submit_bio+0xa0/0x6b0 block/blk-core.c:639 __submit_bio_noacct_mq block/blk-core.c:718 [inline] submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x5b7/0x810 block/blk-core.c:747 submit_bio_noacct+0xca0/0x1990 block/blk-core.c:847 __ext4_read_bh fs/ext4/super.c:205 [inline] ext4_read_bh+0x15e/0x2e0 fs/ext4/super.c:230 __read_extent_tree_block+0x304/0x6f0 fs/ext4/extents.c:567 ext4_find_extent+0x479/0xd20 fs/ext4/extents.c:947 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0x1a3/0x2680 fs/ext4/extents.c:4182 ext4_map_blocks+0x929/0x15a0 fs/ext4/inode.c:660 ext4_iomap_begin_report+0x298/0x480 fs/ext4/inode.c:3569 iomap_iter+0x3dd/0x1010 fs/iomap/iter.c:91 iomap_fiemap+0x1f4/0x360 fs/iomap/fiemap.c:80 ext4_fiemap+0x181/0x210 fs/ext4/extents.c:5051 ioctl_fiemap.isra.0+0x1b4/0x290 fs/ioctl.c:220 do_vfs_ioctl+0x31c/0x11a0 fs/ioctl.c:811 __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:869 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl+0xae/0x190 fs/ioctl.c:857 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x70/0x120 arch/x86/entry/common.c:81 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x78/0xe2 Allocated by task 232719: kasan_save_stack+0x22/0x50 mm/kasan/common.c:45 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30 mm/kasan/common.c:52 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x87/0x90 mm/kasan/common.c:328 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:188 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:768 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3492 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x1b8/0x6f0 mm/slub.c:3537 bfq_get_queue+0x215/0x1f00 block/bfq-iosched.c:5869 bfq_get_bfqq_handle_split+0x167/0x5f0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6776 bfq_init_rq+0x13a4/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6938 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0xe8/0xa20 block/bfq-iosched.c:6271 bfq_insert_requests+0x27f/0x390 block/bfq-iosched.c:6323 blk_mq_insert_request+0x290/0x8f0 block/blk-mq.c:2660 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x1021/0x15e0 block/blk-mq.c:3143 __submit_bio+0xa0/0x6b0 block/blk-core.c:639 __submit_bio_noacct_mq block/blk-core.c:718 [inline] submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x5b7/0x810 block/blk-core.c:747 submit_bio_noacct+0xca0/0x1990 block/blk-core.c:847 __ext4_read_bh fs/ext4/super.c:205 [inline] ext4_read_bh_nowait+0x15a/0x240 fs/ext4/super.c:217 ext4_read_bh_lock+0xac/0xd0 fs/ext4/super.c:242 ext4_bread_batch+0x268/0x500 fs/ext4/inode.c:958 __ext4_find_entry+0x448/0x10f0 fs/ext4/namei.c:1671 ext4_lookup_entry fs/ext4/namei.c:1774 [inline] ext4_lookup.part.0+0x359/0x6f0 fs/ext4/namei.c:1842 ext4_lookup+0x72/0x90 fs/ext4/namei.c:1839 __lookup_slow+0x257/0x480 fs/namei.c:1696 lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1713 [inline] walk_component+0x454/0x5c0 fs/namei.c:2004 link_path_walk.part.0+0x773/0xda0 fs/namei.c:2331 link_path_walk fs/namei.c:3826 [inline] path_openat+0x1b9/0x520 fs/namei.c:3826 do_filp_open+0x1b7/0x400 fs/namei.c:3857 do_sys_openat2+0x5dc/0x6e0 fs/open.c:1428 do_sys_open fs/open.c:1443 [inline] __do_sys_openat fs/open.c:1459 [inline] __se_sys_openat fs/open.c:1454 [inline] __x64_sys_openat+0x148/0x200 fs/open.c:1454 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_6 ---truncated---

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.12.10
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 6% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2025-21631 scores 7.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at <0.1%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 6.11.2

Until: 6.12.10

Fixed in: 6.12.10

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.12.10 or later to resolve a use-after-free vulnerability in the BFQ I/O scheduler that can cause kernel crashes during block device operations. This issue occurs when the waker_bfqq pointer is accessed after being freed during queue splitting operations. Apply the kernel update immediately and reboot your system to ensure the patch is active.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your current kernel version by running: uname -r
  2. Step 2: Verify if you are running a vulnerable version (6.11.2 to 6.12.9) by comparing against the fixed version 6.12.10
  3. Step 3: Search system logs for BFQ scheduler-related kernel panics: sudo grep -i 'bfq\|kasan.*bfq_init_rq' /var/log/kern.log /var/log/syslog
  4. Step 4: After patching, confirm the new kernel version with uname -r and verify no BFQ-related kernel errors appear in dmesg: dmesg | grep -i bfq

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-21631?

This vulnerability is a use-after-free (UAF) flaw in the Linux kernel's BFQ block I/O scheduler where a freed queue pointer (waker_bfqq) is accessed during queue splitting operations, potentially causing kernel memory corruption and system crashes.

Is CVE-2025-21631 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog as actively exploited, and no public exploits are currently available. However, it can be triggered through filesystem operations that interact with the block device layer.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2025-21631?

Linux kernel versions 6.11.2 through 6.12.9 are vulnerable. Version 6.12.10 and later contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2025-21631?

Run 'uname -r' to display your kernel version. If the output shows a version between 6.11.2 and 6.12.9, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2025-21631?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2025-21631 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63795CVSS 10In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: 9p: avoid putting oldfid in p9_client_walk() error path When p9_client_walk() is called with clone set to false, fid aliases oldfid. If the walk subsequently fails after the request has been sent, the error path jumps to clunk_fid, which currently calls p9_fid_put(fid) unconditionally. This drops a reference to oldfid even though ownership of oldfid remains with the caller. If this is the last reference, oldfid can be clunked and destroyed while the caller still expects it to be valid. A later use or put of oldfid can then trigger a use-after-free or refcount underflow. Fix this by only putting fid in the clunk_fid error path when it does not alias oldfid, matching the existing guard in the error path below. This can be triggered when a multi-component walk is split into multiple p9_client_walk() calls and a later non-cloning walk fails. A reproducer and refcount warning logs are available on request.
CVE-2026-64232CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: block: recompute nr_integrity_segments in blk_insert_cloned_request blk_insert_cloned_request() already recomputes nr_phys_segments against the bottom queue, because "the queue settings related to segment counting may differ from the original queue." The exact same reasoning applies to integrity segments: a stacked driver's underlying queue can have tighter virt_boundary_mask, seg_boundary_mask, or max_segment_size than the top queue, in which case blk_rq_count_integrity_sg() against the bottom queue produces a different count than the cached rq->nr_integrity_segments inherited from the source request by blk_rq_prep_clone(). When the cached count is lower than the bottom queue's actual count, blk_rq_map_integrity_sg() trips BUG_ON(segments > rq->nr_integrity_segments); on dispatch. The same families of stacked setups that motivated the existing nr_phys_segments recompute -- dm-multipath fanning out to nvme-rdma in particular -- can produce this. Mirror the nr_phys_segments handling: when the request carries integrity, recompute nr_integrity_segments against the bottom queue and reject the request if it exceeds the bottom queue's max_integrity_segments. blk_rq_count_integrity_sg() and queue_max_integrity_segments() are both already available via <linux/blk-integrity.h>, which blk-mq.c includes. This closes a latent gap in the stacking contract and brings the integrity-segment accounting in line with the existing phys-segment accounting.
CVE-2026-53088CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bcmgenet: fix off-by-one in bcmgenet_put_txcb The write_ptr points to the next open tx_cb. We want to return the tx_cb that gets rewinded, so we must rewind the pointer first then return the tx_cb that it points to. That way the txcb can be correctly cleaned up.
CVE-2026-53260CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: Add preempt_{disable,enable}_nested() in reqsk_queue_hash_req(). syzbot reported a weird reqsk->rsk_refcnt underflow in __inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop(). The captured reqsk_put() in __inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop() is called only when it successfully removes reqsk from ehash. Moreover, reqsk_timer_handler() calls another reqsk_put() after that. This indicates that the reqsk was missing both refcnts for ehash and the timer itself. Since all the syzbot reports had PREEMPT_RT enabled, the only possible scenario is that reqsk_queue_hash_req() is preempted after mod_timer() and before refcount_set(), and then the timer triggered after 1s aborts the reqsk due to its listener's close(). Let's wrap mod_timer() and refcount_set() with preempt_disable_nested() and preempt_enable_nested(). Note that inet_ehash_insert() holds the normal spin_lock() (mutex in PREEMPT_RT), so it must be called outside of preempt_disable_nested(), but this is fine. The lookup path just ignores 0 sk_refcnt entries in ehash and tries to create another reqsk, but this will fail at inet_ehash_insert(). [0]: refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free. WARNING: lib/refcount.c:28 at refcount_warn_saturate+0xb2/0x110 lib/refcount.c:28, CPU#0: ktimers/0/16 Modules linked in: CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 16 Comm: ktimers/0 Tainted: G L syzkaller #0 PREEMPT_{RT,(full)} Tainted: [L]=SOFTLOCKUP Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 04/18/2026 RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xb2/0x110 lib/refcount.c:28 Code: e4 7d d1 0a 67 48 0f b9 3a eb 4a e8 38 3d 23 fd 48 8d 3d e1 7d d1 0a 67 48 0f b9 3a eb 37 e8 25 3d 23 fd 48 8d 3d de 7d d1 0a <67> 48 0f b9 3a eb 24 e8 12 3d 23 fd 48 8d 3d db 7d d1 0a 67 48 0f RSP: 0000:ffffc90000157948 EFLAGS: 00010246 RAX: ffffffff84a1301b RBX: 0000000000000003 RCX: ffff88801ca98000 RDX: 0000000000000100 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffffffff8f72ae00 RBP: ffffffff99ae3b01 R08: ffff88801ca98000 R09: 0000000000000005 R10: 0000000000000100 R11: 0000000000000004 R12: ffff8880425ef568 R13: ffff8880425ef4f8 R14: ffff8880425ef578 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff888126386000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f7b46710e9c CR3: 000000000dbb6000 CR4: 00000000003526f0 Call Trace: <TASK> __refcount_sub_and_test include/linux/refcount.h:400 [inline] __refcount_dec_and_test include/linux/refcount.h:432 [inline] refcount_dec_and_test include/linux/refcount.h:450 [inline] reqsk_put include/net/request_sock.h:136 [inline] __inet_csk_reqsk_queue_drop+0x3ce/0x440 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:1007 reqsk_timer_handler+0x651/0xdf0 net/ipv4/inet_connection_sock.c:1137 call_timer_fn+0x192/0x5e0 kernel/time/timer.c:1748 expire_timers kernel/time/timer.c:1799 [inline] __run_timers kernel/time/timer.c:2374 [inline] __run_timer_base+0x6a3/0x9f0 kernel/time/timer.c:2386 run_timer_base kernel/time/timer.c:2395 [inline] run_timer_softirq+0x67/0x170 kernel/time/timer.c:2403 handle_softirqs+0x1de/0x6d0 kernel/softirq.c:622 __do_softirq kernel/softirq.c:656 [inline] run_ktimerd+0x69/0x100 kernel/softirq.c:1151 smpboot_thread_fn+0x541/0xa50 kernel/smpboot.c:160 kthread+0x388/0x470 kernel/kthread.c:436 ret_from_fork+0x514/0xb70 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:158 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:245 </TASK>
CVE-2026-53049CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gfs2: add some missing log locking Function gfs2_logd() calls the log flushing functions gfs2_ail1_start(), gfs2_ail1_wait(), and gfs2_ail1_empty() without holding sdp->sd_log_flush_lock, but these functions require exclusion against concurrent transactions. To fix that, add a non-locking __gfs2_log_flush() function. Then, in gfs2_logd(), take sdp->sd_log_flush_lock before calling the above mentioned log flushing functions and __gfs2_log_flush().

References

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