gpio: aggregator: protect driver attr handlers against module unload
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- High
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Fixed
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CISA ADP. Fix status from CNA.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: gpio: aggregator: protect driver attr handlers against module unload Both new_device_store and delete_device_store touch module global resources (e.g. gpio_aggregator_lock). To prevent race conditions with module unload, a reference needs to be held. Add try_module_get() in these handlers. For new_device_store, this eliminates what appears to be the most dangerous scenario: if an id is allocated from gpio_aggregator_idr but platform_device_register has not yet been called or completed, a concurrent module unload could fail to unregister/delete the device, leaving behind a dangling platform device/GPIO forwarder. This can result in various issues. The following simple reproducer demonstrates these problems: #!/bin/bash while :; do # note: whether 'gpiochip0 0' exists or not does not matter. echo 'gpiochip0 0' > /sys/bus/platform/drivers/gpio-aggregator/new_device done & while :; do modprobe gpio-aggregator modprobe -r gpio-aggregator done & wait Starting with the following warning, several kinds of warnings will appear and the system may become unstable: ------------[ cut here ]------------ list_del corruption, ffff888103e2e980->next is LIST_POISON1 (dead000000000100) WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 1327 at lib/list_debug.c:56 __list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xa3/0x120 [...] RIP: 0010:__list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xa3/0x120 [...] Call Trace: <TASK> ? __list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xa3/0x120 ? __warn.cold+0x93/0xf2 ? __list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xa3/0x120 ? report_bug+0xe6/0x170 ? __irq_work_queue_local+0x39/0xe0 ? handle_bug+0x58/0x90 ? exc_invalid_op+0x13/0x60 ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x16/0x20 ? __list_del_entry_valid_or_report+0xa3/0x120 gpiod_remove_lookup_table+0x22/0x60 new_device_store+0x315/0x350 [gpio_aggregator] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x137/0x1f0 vfs_write+0x262/0x430 ksys_write+0x60/0xd0 do_syscall_64+0x6c/0x180 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [...] </TASK> ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
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 | 5.8 and later | 5.10.235, 5.15.179, 6.1.131, 6.6.83, 6.12.19, 6.13.7, 6.14 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.8 and later Fixed in 5.10.235, 5.15.179, 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:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.8 to before 5.10.235; 5.11 to before 5.15.179; 5.16 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 5.8 to before 5.10.235; 5.11 to before 5.15.179; 5.16 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 5.10.235, 5.15.179, 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 →
Not affected: 5 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-21943
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-m7pp-g2rm-wrcq
References
Patch 7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fd6aa1f8cbe0979eb66ac32ebc231bf0b10a2117
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/807789018186cf508ceb3a1f8f02935cd195717b
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9334c88fc2fbc6836b307d269fcc1744c69701c0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d99dc8f7ea01ee1b21306e0eda8eb18a4af80db6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8fb07fb1bba91d45846ed8605c3097fe67a7d54c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/56281a76b805b5ac61feb5d580139695a22f87f0
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/12f65d1203507f7db3ba59930fe29a3b8eee9945
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Sources
- CVE-2025-21943 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-21943 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-m7pp-g2rm-wrcq · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-21943 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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