CVE-2025-21631 [High] | Use-After-Free in Linux Kernel

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: block, bfq: fix waker_bfqq UAF after bfq_split_bfqq() Our syzkaller report a following UAF for v6.6: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in bfq_init_rq+0x175d/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6958 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881b57147d8 by task fsstress/232726 CPU: 2 PID: 232726 Comm: fsstress Not tainted 6.6.0-g3629d1885222 #39 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x91/0xf0 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x66/0x300 mm/kasan/report.c:364 print_report+0x3e/0x70 mm/kasan/report.c:475 kasan_report+0xb8/0xf0 mm/kasan/report.c:588 hlist_add_head include/linux/list.h:1023 [inline] bfq_init_rq+0x175d/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6958 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0xe8/0xa20 block/bfq-iosched.c:6271 bfq_insert_requests+0x27f/0x390 block/bfq-iosched.c:6323 blk_mq_insert_request+0x290/0x8f0 block/blk-mq.c:2660 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x1021/0x15e0 block/blk-mq.c:3143 __submit_bio+0xa0/0x6b0 block/blk-core.c:639 __submit_bio_noacct_mq block/blk-core.c:718 [inline] submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x5b7/0x810 block/blk-core.c:747 submit_bio_noacct+0xca0/0x1990 block/blk-core.c:847 __ext4_read_bh fs/ext4/super.c:205 [inline] ext4_read_bh+0x15e/0x2e0 fs/ext4/super.c:230 __read_extent_tree_block+0x304/0x6f0 fs/ext4/extents.c:567 ext4_find_extent+0x479/0xd20 fs/ext4/extents.c:947 ext4_ext_map_blocks+0x1a3/0x2680 fs/ext4/extents.c:4182 ext4_map_blocks+0x929/0x15a0 fs/ext4/inode.c:660 ext4_iomap_begin_report+0x298/0x480 fs/ext4/inode.c:3569 iomap_iter+0x3dd/0x1010 fs/iomap/iter.c:91 iomap_fiemap+0x1f4/0x360 fs/iomap/fiemap.c:80 ext4_fiemap+0x181/0x210 fs/ext4/extents.c:5051 ioctl_fiemap.isra.0+0x1b4/0x290 fs/ioctl.c:220 do_vfs_ioctl+0x31c/0x11a0 fs/ioctl.c:811 __do_sys_ioctl fs/ioctl.c:869 [inline] __se_sys_ioctl+0xae/0x190 fs/ioctl.c:857 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_64+0x70/0x120 arch/x86/entry/common.c:81 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x78/0xe2 Allocated by task 232719: kasan_save_stack+0x22/0x50 mm/kasan/common.c:45 kasan_set_track+0x25/0x30 mm/kasan/common.c:52 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x87/0x90 mm/kasan/common.c:328 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:188 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slab.h:768 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3492 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x1b8/0x6f0 mm/slub.c:3537 bfq_get_queue+0x215/0x1f00 block/bfq-iosched.c:5869 bfq_get_bfqq_handle_split+0x167/0x5f0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6776 bfq_init_rq+0x13a4/0x17a0 block/bfq-iosched.c:6938 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0xe8/0xa20 block/bfq-iosched.c:6271 bfq_insert_requests+0x27f/0x390 block/bfq-iosched.c:6323 blk_mq_insert_request+0x290/0x8f0 block/blk-mq.c:2660 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x1021/0x15e0 block/blk-mq.c:3143 __submit_bio+0xa0/0x6b0 block/blk-core.c:639 __submit_bio_noacct_mq block/blk-core.c:718 [inline] submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x5b7/0x810 block/blk-core.c:747 submit_bio_noacct+0xca0/0x1990 block/blk-core.c:847 __ext4_read_bh fs/ext4/super.c:205 [inline] ext4_read_bh_nowait+0x15a/0x240 fs/ext4/super.c:217 ext4_read_bh_lock+0xac/0xd0 fs/ext4/super.c:242 ext4_bread_batch+0x268/0x500 fs/ext4/inode.c:958 __ext4_find_entry+0x448/0x10f0 fs/ext4/namei.c:1671 ext4_lookup_entry fs/ext4/namei.c:1774 [inline] ext4_lookup.part.0+0x359/0x6f0 fs/ext4/namei.c:1842 ext4_lookup+0x72/0x90 fs/ext4/namei.c:1839 __lookup_slow+0x257/0x480 fs/namei.c:1696 lookup_slow fs/namei.c:1713 [inline] walk_component+0x454/0x5c0 fs/namei.c:2004 link_path_walk.part.0+0x773/0xda0 fs/namei.c:2331 link_path_walk fs/namei.c:3826 [inline] path_openat+0x1b9/0x520 fs/namei.c:3826 do_filp_open+0x1b7/0x400 fs/namei.c:3857 do_sys_openat2+0x5dc/0x6e0 fs/open.c:1428 do_sys_open fs/open.c:1443 [inline] __do_sys_openat fs/open.c:1459 [inline] __se_sys_openat fs/open.c:1454 [inline] __x64_sys_openat+0x148/0x200 fs/open.c:1454 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:51 [inline] do_syscall_6 ---truncated---

#	Date	Old EPSS score	New EPSS score	Delta (New - Old)
1	2025-11-20	0.07%	0.04%	-0.03%
2	2025-11-18	0.04%	0.07%	+0.02%
3	2025-01-20	—	0.04%	—

Date

Old EPSS score

New EPSS score

Delta (New - Old)

2025-11-20

0.07%

0.04%

-0.03%

2025-11-18

0.04%

0.07%

+0.02%

2025-01-20

—

0.04%

—

Base score	Version	Severity	Vector	Exploitability	Impact	Score source
7.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:L) They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.8	5.9	[email protected]
7.8	3.1	HIGH	`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H` Click to expand Attack vector (AV:L) They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by. Attack complexity (AC:L) Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup. Privileges required (PR:L) A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin. User interaction (UI:N) Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping. Scope (S:U) Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems. Confidentiality (C:H) Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way. Integrity (I:H) They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt. Availability (A:H) Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.	1.8	5.9	134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

Base score

Version

Severity

Vector

Exploitability

Impact

Score source

7.8

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:L): They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.8

5.9

[email protected]

7.8

3.1

HIGH

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H Click to expand

Attack vector (AV:L): They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L): Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L): A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
User interaction (UI:N): Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U): Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:H): Serious risk that confidential data gets exposed in a big way.
Integrity (I:H): They could widely tamper with or forge data—trust in the data is badly hurt.
Availability (A:H): Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.

1.8

5.9

134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-21631

vendor	priority	summary	link
`debian`	unimportant	CVE-2025-21631 unimportant priority: Debian including 2 source packages (linux, linux-6.1), 6 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 6.	https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2025-21631
`redhat`	medium	—	https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-21631
`suse`	high	CVE-2025-21631 severity important: SUSE including 418 source package names (2.1.3-6.11:kernel-default-6.4.0-28.1, 2.1.3-6.12:kernel-default-base-6.4.0-28.1.21.6, …), 808 product×package rows across 144 product lines (Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/base-os-container, Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/kvm-os-container, … (144 product lines)): Fixed 361, Known Affected 231, Known Not Affected 216.	https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2025-21631/
`ubuntu`	medium	CVE-2025-21631 medium priority: Ubuntu including 158 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner-5.19, …), 1551 status rows across 10 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1145, released 163, ignored 147, not-affected 95, needed 1.	https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-21631

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-21631

Vendor	Product	Version	Raw CPE
linux	linux_kernel	>= 5.15.168, < 5.15.177	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
linux	linux_kernel	>= 6.1.113, < 6.1.125	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
linux	linux_kernel	>= 6.6.54, < 6.6.72	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
linux	linux_kernel	>= 6.10.13, < 6.11	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
linux	linux_kernel	>= 6.11.2, < 6.12.10	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc1::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc2::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc3::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc4::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc5::::::
linux	linux_kernel	6.13	cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc6::::::

References for CVE-2025-21631

URL	Tags
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2550149fcdf2934155ff625d76ad4e3d4b25bbc6	Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bc2aeb35ff167e0c6b0cedf0c96a5c41e6cba1ed	Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/be3eed59ac01f429ac10aaa46e26f653bcf581ab	Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f587c1ac68956c4703857d650d9b1cd7bb2ac4d7	Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fcede1f0a043ccefe9bc6ad57f12718e42f63f1d	Patch
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html

URL

CVE-2025-21631 | block, bfq: fix waker_bfqq UAF after bfq_split_bfqq()

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2025-21631

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2025-21631

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2025-21631

OS Trackers for CVE-2025-21631

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2025-21631

References for CVE-2025-21631