efi: Don't map the entire mokvar table to determine its size
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: efi: Don't map the entire mokvar table to determine its size Currently, when validating the mokvar table, we (re)map the entire table on each iteration of the loop, adding space as we discover new entries. If the table grows over a certain size, this fails due to limitations of early_memmap(), and we get a failure and traceback: ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 0 at mm/early_ioremap.c:139 __early_ioremap+0xef/0x220 ... Call Trace: <TASK> ? __early_ioremap+0xef/0x220 ? __warn.cold+0x93/0xfa ? __early_ioremap+0xef/0x220 ? report_bug+0xff/0x140 ? early_fixup_exception+0x5d/0xb0 ? early_idt_handler_common+0x2f/0x3a ? __early_ioremap+0xef/0x220 ? efi_mokvar_table_init+0xce/0x1d0 ? setup_arch+0x864/0xc10 ? start_kernel+0x6b/0xa10 ? x86_64_start_reservations+0x24/0x30 ? x86_64_start_kernel+0xed/0xf0 ? common_startup_64+0x13e/0x141 </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- mokvar: Failed to map EFI MOKvar config table pa=0x7c4c3000, size=265187. Mapping the entire structure isn't actually necessary, as we don't ever need more than one entry header mapped at once. Changes efi_mokvar_table_init() to only map each entry header, not the entire table, when determining the table size. Since we're not mapping any data past the variable name, it also changes the code to enforce that each variable name is NUL terminated, rather than attempting to verify it in place.
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 | 5.10 and later | 5.10.235, 6.1.191, 6.6.83, 6.12.18, 6.13.6, 6.14 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.10 and later Fixed in 5.10.235, 6.1.191, 6.6.83, 6.12.18, 6.13.6, 6.14 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 5
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.10 to before 5.10.235; 5.11 to before 6.6.83; 6.7 to before 6.12.18; 6.13 to before 6.13.6 | 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:6.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.14 rc4 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.10 to before 5.10.235; 5.11 to before 6.6.83; 6.7 to before 6.12.18; 6.13 to before 6.13.6 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
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.14 rc4 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.10.235, 6.1.191, 6.6.83, 6.12.18, 6.13.6, 6.14
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-21872
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-9pcq-fqff-43qc
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@f17a72ac7dd6f9469c9e6185bdbb22dbb744dd74 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46c0454ffb78ce9d3355a3cccac86383ea8ddd55
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ea3f0b362dfe4ef885ef812bfaf4088176422c91
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/65f4aebb8127708ba668dd938e83b8558abfc5cd
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/97bd560b6cc4c26386a53b4881bf03e96f9ba03a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b90e7ace79774a3540ce569e000388f8d22c9e0
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
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- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-21872 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-21872 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-9pcq-fqff-43qc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-21872 · 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