MEDIUM · 5.5

CVE-2025-21889

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Add RCU read lock protection to perf_iterate_ctx() The perf_iterate_ctx() function performs RCU list traversal but curr...

Vulnerability Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Add RCU read lock protection to perf_iterate_ctx() The perf_iterate_ctx() function performs RCU list traversal but currently lacks RCU read lock protection. This causes lockdep warnings when running perf probe with unshare(1) under CONFIG_PROVE_RCU_LIST=y: WARNING: suspicious RCU usage kernel/events/core.c:8168 RCU-list traversed in non-reader section!! Call Trace: lockdep_rcu_suspicious ? perf_event_addr_filters_apply perf_iterate_ctx perf_event_exec begin_new_exec ? load_elf_phdrs load_elf_binary ? lock_acquire ? find_held_lock ? bprm_execve bprm_execve do_execveat_common.isra.0 __x64_sys_execve do_syscall_64 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe This protection was previously present but was removed in commit bd2756811766 ("perf: Rewrite core context handling"). Add back the necessary rcu_read_lock()/rcu_read_unlock() pair around perf_iterate_ctx() call in perf_event_exec(). [ mingo: Use scoped_guard() as suggested by Peter ]

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

VendorProductVersions
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.81

References

FAQ

What is CVE-2025-21889?

CVE-2025-21889 is a vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Add RCU read lock protection to perf_iterate_ctx() The perf_iterate_ctx() function performs RCU list traversal but curr...

How severe is CVE-2025-21889?

CVE-2025-21889 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-2025-21889?

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