mptcp: fix 'scheduling while atomic' in mptcp_pm_nl_append_new_local_addr
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Network
- Privileges required
- None
- 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 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: fix 'scheduling while atomic' in mptcp_pm_nl_append_new_local_addr If multiple connection requests attempt to create an implicit mptcp endpoint in parallel, more than one caller may end up in mptcp_pm_nl_append_new_local_addr because none found the address in local_addr_list during their call to mptcp_pm_nl_get_local_id. In this case, the concurrent new_local_addr calls may delete the address entry created by the previous caller. These deletes use synchronize_rcu, but this is not permitted in some of the contexts where this function may be called. During packet recv, the caller may be in a rcu read critical section and have preemption disabled. An example stack: BUG: scheduling while atomic: swapper/2/0/0x00000302 Call Trace: <IRQ> dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:117 (discriminator 1)) dump_stack (lib/dump_stack.c:124) __schedule_bug (kernel/sched/core.c:5943) schedule_debug.constprop.0 (arch/x86/include/asm/preempt.h:33 kernel/sched/core.c:5970) __schedule (arch/x86/include/asm/jump_label.h:27 include/linux/jump_label.h:207 kernel/sched/features.h:29 kernel/sched/core.c:6621) schedule (arch/x86/include/asm/preempt.h:84 kernel/sched/core.c:6804 kernel/sched/core.c:6818) schedule_timeout (kernel/time/timer.c:2160) wait_for_completion (kernel/sched/completion.c:96 kernel/sched/completion.c:116 kernel/sched/completion.c:127 kernel/sched/completion.c:148) __wait_rcu_gp (include/linux/rcupdate.h:311 kernel/rcu/update.c:444) synchronize_rcu (kernel/rcu/tree.c:3609) mptcp_pm_nl_append_new_local_addr (net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:966 net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1061) mptcp_pm_nl_get_local_id (net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1164) mptcp_pm_get_local_id (net/mptcp/pm.c:420) subflow_check_req (net/mptcp/subflow.c:98 net/mptcp/subflow.c:213) subflow_v4_route_req (net/mptcp/subflow.c:305) tcp_conn_request (net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:7216) subflow_v4_conn_request (net/mptcp/subflow.c:651) tcp_rcv_state_process (net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:6709) tcp_v4_do_rcv (net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1934) tcp_v4_rcv (net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:2334) ip_protocol_deliver_rcu (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:205 (discriminator 1)) ip_local_deliver_finish (include/linux/rcupdate.h:813 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:234) ip_local_deliver (include/linux/netfilter.h:314 include/linux/netfilter.h:308 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:254) ip_sublist_rcv_finish (include/net/dst.h:461 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:580) ip_sublist_rcv (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:640) ip_list_rcv (net/ipv4/ip_input.c:675) __netif_receive_skb_list_core (net/core/dev.c:5583 net/core/dev.c:5631) netif_receive_skb_list_internal (net/core/dev.c:5685 net/core/dev.c:5774) napi_complete_done (include/linux/list.h:37 include/net/gro.h:449 include/net/gro.h:444 net/core/dev.c:6114) igb_poll (drivers/net/ethernet/intel/igb/igb_main.c:8244) igb __napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:6582) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:6653 net/core/dev.c:6787) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:553) __irq_exit_rcu (kernel/softirq.c:588 kernel/softirq.c:427 kernel/softirq.c:636) irq_exit_rcu (kernel/softirq.c:651) common_interrupt (arch/x86/kernel/irq.c:247 (discriminator 14)) </IRQ> This problem seems particularly prevalent if the user advertises an endpoint that has a different external vs internal address. In the case where the external address is advertised and multiple connections already exist, multiple subflow SYNs arrive in parallel which tends to trigger the race during creation of the first local_addr_list entries which have the internal address instead. Fix by skipping the replacement of an existing implicit local address if called via mptcp_pm_nl_get_local_id.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- Yes
- 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 | 5.18 and later | 6.1.131, 6.6.83, 6.12.19, 6.13.7, 6.14 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.18 and later Fixed in 6.1.131, 6.6.83, 6.12.19, 6.13.7, 6.14 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 6
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.18 to before 6.1.131; 6.2 to before 6.6.83; 6.7 to before 6.12.19; 6.13 to before 6.13.7 | 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:6.14:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.14 rc5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.18 to before 6.1.131; 6.2 to before 6.6.83; 6.7 to before 6.12.19; 6.13 to before 6.13.7 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
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.14 rc5 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.131, 6.6.83, 6.12.19, 6.13.7, 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 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-2025-21938
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-64vr-rmgj-v53q
- 2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1404f368c40fc6a068dad72e4ee0824ee6a78ee
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3fcdb2de9fdbed9d8c6a8eb2c5fbd7d6f54a4d8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4b228dae3d2cc6d9dce167449cd8fa9f028e9376
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/125ccafe6dd062901b5a0c31ee9038740fc8859e
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/022bfe24aad8937705704ff2e414b100cf0f2e1a
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- 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-2025-21938 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-21938 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-64vr-rmgj-v53q · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-21938 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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