openvswitch: fix lockup on tx to unregistering netdev with carrier
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 5 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-835.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: openvswitch: fix lockup on tx to unregistering netdev with carrier Commit in a fixes tag attempted to fix the issue in the following sequence of calls: do_output -> ovs_vport_send -> dev_queue_xmit -> __dev_queue_xmit -> netdev_core_pick_tx -> skb_tx_hash When device is unregistering, the 'dev->real_num_tx_queues' goes to zero and the 'while (unlikely(hash >= qcount))' loop inside the 'skb_tx_hash' becomes infinite, locking up the core forever. But unfortunately, checking just the carrier status is not enough to fix the issue, because some devices may still be in unregistering state while reporting carrier status OK. One example of such device is a net/dummy. It sets carrier ON on start, but it doesn't implement .ndo_stop to set the carrier off. And it makes sense, because dummy doesn't really have a carrier. Therefore, while this device is unregistering, it's still easy to hit the infinite loop in the skb_tx_hash() from the OVS datapath. There might be other drivers that do the same, but dummy by itself is important for the OVS ecosystem, because it is frequently used as a packet sink for tcpdump while debugging OVS deployments. And when the issue is hit, the only way to recover is to reboot. Fix that by also checking if the device is running. The running state is handled by the net core during unregistering, so it covers unregistering case better, and we don't really need to send packets to devices that are not running anyway. While only checking the running state might be enough, the carrier check is preserved. The running and the carrier states seem disjoined throughout the code and different drivers. And other core functions like __dev_direct_xmit() check both before attempting to transmit a packet. So, it seems safer to check both flags in OVS as well.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.1.25 to before 6.1.127; 6.2.12 to before 6.3 | 6.1.127, 6.3 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.3 and later | 6.1.127, 6.6.74, 6.12.11, 6.13 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.25 to before 6.1.127; 6.2.12 to before 6.3 Fixed in 6.1.127, 6.3 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.3 and later Fixed in 6.1.127, 6.6.74, 6.12.11, 6.13 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 8
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.1.25 to before 6.1.127; 6.2.12 to before 6.6.74; 6.7 to before 6.12.11 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc6 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.13 rc7 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.1.25 to before 6.1.127; 6.2.12 to before 6.6.74; 6.7 to before 6.12.11 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc6 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc7:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.13 rc7 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.127, 6.3
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.127, 6.6.74, 6.12.11, 6.13
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-21681
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-2x4f-r6q9-v77h
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 4
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Sources
- CVE-2025-21681 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-21681 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-2x4f-r6q9-v77h · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-21681 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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