high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2025-21727·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: padata: fix UAF in padata_reorder A bug was found when run ltp test: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in padata_find_next+0x29/0x1a0 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88bbfe003524 by task kworker/u113:2/3039206 CPU: 0 PID: 3039206 Comm: kworker/u113:2 Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.6.0+ Workqueue: pdecrypt_parallel padata_parallel_worker Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x32/0x50 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x6b/0x3d0 print_report+0xdd/0x2c0 kasan_report+0xa5/0xd0 padata_find_next+0x29/0x1a0 padata_reorder+0x131/0x220 padata_parallel_worker+0x3d/0xc0 process_one_work+0x2ec/0x5a0 If 'mdelay(10)' is added before calling 'padata_find_next' in the 'padata_reorder' function, this issue could be reproduced easily with ltp test (pcrypt_aead01). This can be explained as bellow: pcrypt_aead_encrypt ... padata_do_parallel refcount_inc(&pd->refcnt); // add refcnt ... padata_do_serial padata_reorder // pd while (1) { padata_find_next(pd, true); // using pd queue_work_on ... padata_serial_worker crypto_del_alg padata_put_pd_cnt // sub refcnt padata_free_shell padata_put_pd(ps->pd); // pd is freed // loop again, but pd is freed // call padata_find_next, UAF } In the padata_reorder function, when it loops in 'while', if the alg is deleted, the refcnt may be decreased to 0 before entering 'padata_find_next', which leads to UAF. As mentioned in [1], do_serial is supposed to be called with BHs disabled and always happen under RCU protection, to address this issue, add synchronize_rcu() in 'padata_free_shell' wait for all _do_serial calls to finish. [1] https://lore.kernel.org/all/20221028160401.cccypv4euxikusiq@parnassus.localdomain/ [2] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-kernel/jfjz5d7zwbytztackem7ibzalm5lnxldi2eofeiczqmqs2m7o6@fq426cwnjtkm/

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.13.2
Published
2025-02-27

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 resolve a use-after-free vulnerability in the padata parallel processing subsystem. This flaw can occur when cryptographic algorithms are deleted while reorder operations are in progress, leading to memory corruption. Apply the kernel update immediately and reboot your system to activate the patched version.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check your current kernel version by running: uname -r
  2. Verify the padata module is loaded: lsmod | grep padata
  3. Search system logs for UAF-related KASAN warnings: sudo journalctl -xe | grep -i 'kasan\|use-after-free\|padata'
  4. After applying the update, confirm the new kernel is active: uname -r (should show 6.13.2 or later)
  5. Verify the fix with: grep -i 'synchronize_rcu' /boot/config-$(uname -r) (if available in your distro's config)

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-21727?

CVE-2025-21727 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's padata parallel processing framework that occurs when cryptographic algorithms are unregistered while parallel reorder operations are still executing, causing potential memory corruption and system instability.

Is CVE-2025-21727 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not currently listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, and no public exploits are available. However, the high CVSS score (7.8) warrants timely patching.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2025-21727?

Linux kernel versions 6.13 through 6.13.2 are affected. The vulnerability has been patched in kernel version 6.13.2 and later stable releases.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2025-21727?

Run 'uname -r' and compare the output to 6.13 or 6.13.1. If your kernel version falls within this range, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2025-21727?

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-2025-21727 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2024-42256CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cifs: Fix server re-repick on subrequest retry When a subrequest is marked for needing retry, netfs will call cifs_prepare_write() which will make cifs repick the server for the op before renegotiating credits; it then calls cifs_issue_write() which invokes smb2_async_writev() - which re-repicks the server. If a different server is then selected, this causes the increment of server->in_flight to happen against one record and the decrement to happen against another, leading to misaccounting. Fix this by just removing the repick code in smb2_async_writev(). As this is only called from netfslib-driven code, cifs_prepare_write() should always have been called first, and so server should never be NULL and the preparatory step is repeated in the event that we do a retry. The problem manifests as a warning looking something like: WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 72896 at fs/smb/client/smb2ops.c:97 smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... RIP: 0010:smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... smb2_writev_callback+0x334/0x560 [cifs] cifs_demultiplex_thread+0x77a/0x11b0 [cifs] kthread+0x187/0x1d0 ret_from_fork+0x34/0x60 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 Which may be triggered by a number of different xfstests running against an Azure server in multichannel mode. generic/249 seems the most repeatable, but generic/215, generic/249 and generic/308 may also show it.
CVE-2024-36031CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: Fix overwrite of key expiration on instantiation The expiry time of a key is unconditionally overwritten during instantiation, defaulting to turn it permanent. This causes a problem for DNS resolution as the expiration set by user-space is overwritten to TIME64_MAX, disabling further DNS updates. Fix this by restoring the condition that key_set_expiry is only called when the pre-parser sets a specific expiry.
CVE-2024-38612CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: fix invalid unregister error path The error path of seg6_init() is wrong in case CONFIG_IPV6_SEG6_LWTUNNEL is not defined. In that case if seg6_hmac_init() fails, the genl_unregister_family() isn't called. This issue exist since commit 46738b1317e1 ("ipv6: sr: add option to control lwtunnel support"), and commit 5559cea2d5aa ("ipv6: sr: fix possible use-after-free and null-ptr-deref") replaced unregister_pernet_subsys() with genl_unregister_family() in this error path.
CVE-2024-38623CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Use variable length array instead of fixed size Should fix smatch warning: ntfs_set_label() error: __builtin_memcpy() 'uni->name' too small (20 vs 256)
CVE-2021-47548CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethernet: hisilicon: hns: hns_dsaf_misc: fix a possible array overflow in hns_dsaf_ge_srst_by_port() The if statement: if (port >= DSAF_GE_NUM) return; limits the value of port less than DSAF_GE_NUM (i.e., 8). However, if the value of port is 6 or 7, an array overflow could occur: port_rst_off = dsaf_dev->mac_cb[port]->port_rst_off; because the length of dsaf_dev->mac_cb is DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM (i.e., 6). To fix this possible array overflow, we first check port and if it is greater than or equal to DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM, the function returns.

References

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