CVE-2025-21884 — MEDIUM (5.5)

Vulnerability Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: better track kernel sockets lifetime While kernel sockets are dismantled during pernet_operations->exit(), their freeing can be delayed by any tx packets still held in qdisc or device queues, due to skb_set_owner_w() prior calls. This then trigger the following warning from ref_tracker_dir_exit() [1] To fix this, make sure that kernel sockets own a reference on net->passive. Add sk_net_refcnt_upgrade() helper, used whenever a kernel socket is converted to a refcounted one. [1] [ 136.263918][ T35] ref_tracker: net notrefcnt@ffff8880638f01e0 has 1/2 users at [ 136.263918][ T35] sk_alloc+0x2b3/0x370 [ 136.263918][ T35] inet6_create+0x6ce/0x10f0 [ 136.263918][ T35] __sock_create+0x4c0/0xa30 [ 136.263918][ T35] inet_ctl_sock_create+0xc2/0x250 [ 136.263918][ T35] igmp6_net_init+0x39/0x390 [ 136.263918][ T35] ops_init+0x31e/0x590 [ 136.263918][ T35] setup_net+0x287/0x9e0 [ 136.263918][ T35] copy_net_ns+0x33f/0x570 [ 136.263918][ T35] create_new_namespaces+0x425/0x7b0 [ 136.263918][ T35] unshare_nsproxy_namespaces+0x124/0x180 [ 136.263918][ T35] ksys_unshare+0x57d/0xa70 [ 136.263918][ T35] __x64_sys_unshare+0x38/0x40 [ 136.263918][ T35] do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 [ 136.263918][ T35] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f [ 136.263918][ T35] [ 136.343488][ T35] ref_tracker: net notrefcnt@ffff8880638f01e0 has 1/2 users at [ 136.343488][ T35] sk_alloc+0x2b3/0x370 [ 136.343488][ T35] inet6_create+0x6ce/0x10f0 [ 136.343488][ T35] __sock_create+0x4c0/0xa30 [ 136.343488][ T35] inet_ctl_sock_create+0xc2/0x250 [ 136.343488][ T35] ndisc_net_init+0xa7/0x2b0 [ 136.343488][ T35] ops_init+0x31e/0x590 [ 136.343488][ T35] setup_net+0x287/0x9e0 [ 136.343488][ T35] copy_net_ns+0x33f/0x570 [ 136.343488][ T35] create_new_namespaces+0x425/0x7b0 [ 136.343488][ T35] unshare_nsproxy_namespaces+0x124/0x180 [ 136.343488][ T35] ksys_unshare+0x57d/0xa70 [ 136.343488][ T35] __x64_sys_unshare+0x38/0x40 [ 136.343488][ T35] do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 [ 136.343488][ T35] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

CVSS Score

5.5

MEDIUM

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

Attack Vector

LOCAL

Attack Complexity

LOW

Privileges Required

LOW

User Interaction

NONE

Scope

UNCHANGED

Confidentiality

NONE

Integrity

NONE

Availability

HIGH

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2, < 6.6.103

References

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-21884?

CVE-2025-21884 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: better track kernel sockets lifetime While kernel sockets are dismantled during pernet_operations->exit(), their freeing can ...

How severe is CVE-2025-21884?

CVE-2025-21884 has been rated MEDIUM with a CVSS base score of 5.5/10. Review the CVSS metrics above for detailed severity breakdown.

Is there a patch for CVE-2025-21884?

Check the references section above for vendor advisories and patch information. Affected products include: Linux Linux Kernel.