net: Add rx_skb of kfree_skb to raw_tp_null_args[].
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: 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-476.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: Add rx_skb of kfree_skb to raw_tp_null_args[]. Yan Zhai reported a BPF prog could trigger a null-ptr-deref [0] in trace_kfree_skb if the prog does not check if rx_sk is NULL. Commit c53795d48ee8 ("net: add rx_sk to trace_kfree_skb") added rx_sk to trace_kfree_skb, but rx_sk is optional and could be NULL. Let's add kfree_skb to raw_tp_null_args[] to let the BPF verifier validate such a prog and prevent the issue. Now we fail to load such a prog: libbpf: prog 'drop': -- BEGIN PROG LOAD LOG -- 0: R1=ctx() R10=fp0 ; int BPF_PROG(drop, struct sk_buff *skb, void *location, @ kfree_skb_sk_null.bpf.c:21 0: (79) r3 = *(u64 *)(r1 +24) func 'kfree_skb' arg3 has btf_id 5253 type STRUCT 'sock' 1: R1=ctx() R3_w=trusted_ptr_or_null_sock(id=1) ; bpf_printk("sk: %d, %d\n", sk, sk->__sk_common.skc_family); @ kfree_skb_sk_null.bpf.c:24 1: (69) r4 = *(u16 *)(r3 +16) R3 invalid mem access 'trusted_ptr_or_null_' processed 2 insns (limit 1000000) max_states_per_insn 0 total_states 0 peak_states 0 mark_read 0 -- END PROG LOAD LOG -- Note this fix requires commit 838a10bd2ebf ("bpf: Augment raw_tp arguments with PTR_MAYBE_NULL"). [0]: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000010 PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 0 P4D 0 PREEMPT SMP RIP: 0010:bpf_prog_5e21a6db8fcff1aa_drop+0x10/0x2d Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x1f/0x60 ? page_fault_oops+0x148/0x420 ? search_bpf_extables+0x5b/0x70 ? fixup_exception+0x27/0x2c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x75/0x170 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 ? bpf_prog_5e21a6db8fcff1aa_drop+0x10/0x2d bpf_trace_run4+0x68/0xd0 ? unix_stream_connect+0x1f4/0x6f0 sk_skb_reason_drop+0x90/0x120 unix_stream_connect+0x1f4/0x6f0 __sys_connect+0x7f/0xb0 __x64_sys_connect+0x14/0x20 do_syscall_64+0x47/0xc30 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
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 | 6.11 and later | 6.12.17, 6.13.5, 6.14 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.11 and later Fixed in 6.12.17, 6.13.5, 6.14 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.11 to before 6.12.17; 6.13 to before 6.13.5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.14 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.14 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.14 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.11 to before 6.12.17; 6.13 to before 6.13.5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.14 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.14 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.14 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.12.17, 6.13.5, 6.14
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 9 | Affected | No fix planned: Will not fix |
Not affected: 3 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-21852
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-g33r-c4mc-9962
References
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
- TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-21852 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-21852 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-g33r-c4mc-9962 · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-21852 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences