CVE-2025-21806

CVE-2025-21806 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low.

Key facts

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: let net.core.dev_weight always be non-zero The following problem was encountered during stability test: (NULL net_device): NAPI poll function process_backlog+0x0/0x530 \ returned 1, exceeding its budget of 0. ------------[ cut here ]------------ list_add double add: new=ffff88905f746f48, prev=ffff88905f746f48, \ next=ffff88905f746e40. WARNING: CPU: 18 PID: 5462 at lib/list_debug.c:35 \ __list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 CPU: 18 UID: 0 PID: 5462 Comm: ping Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.13.0-rc7+ RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 Call Trace: ? __warn+0xcd/0x250 ? __list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 enqueue_to_backlog+0x923/0x1070 netif_rx_internal+0x92/0x2b0 __netif_rx+0x15/0x170 loopback_xmit+0x2ef/0x450 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x103/0x490 __dev_queue_xmit+0xeac/0x1950 ip_finish_output2+0x6cc/0x1620 ip_output+0x161/0x270 ip_push_pending_frames+0x155/0x1a0 raw_sendmsg+0xe13/0x1550 __sys_sendto+0x3bf/0x4e0 __x64_sys_sendto+0xdc/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e The reproduction command is as follows: sysctl -w net.core.dev_weight=0 ping 127.0.0.1 This is because when the napi's weight is set to 0, process_backlog() may return 0 and clear the NAPI_STATE_SCHED bit of napi->state, causing this napi to be re-polled in net_rx_action() until __do_softirq() times out. Since the NAPI_STATE_SCHED bit has been cleared, napi_schedule_rps() can be retriggered in enqueue_to_backlog(), causing this issue. Making the napi's weight always non-zero solves this problem. Triggering this issue requires system-wide admin (setting is not namespaced).

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-21806?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: let net.core.dev_weight always be non-zero The following problem was encountered during stability test: (NULL net_device): NAPI poll function process_backlog+0x0/0x530 \ returned 1, exceeding its budget of 0. ------------[ cut here ]------------ list_add double add: new=ffff88905f746f48, prev=ffff88905f746f48, \ next=ffff88905f746e40. WARNING: CPU: 18 PID: 5462 at lib/list_debug.c:35 \ __list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 CPU: 18 UID: 0 PID: 5462 Comm: ping Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.13.0-rc7+ RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 Call Trace: ? __warn+0xcd/0x250 ? __list_add_valid_or_report+0xf3/0x130 enqueue_to_backlog+0x923/0x1070 netif_rx_internal+0x92/0x2b0 __netif_rx+0x15/0x170 loopback_xmit+0x2ef/0x450 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x103/0x490 __dev_queue_xmit+0xeac/0x1950 ip_finish_output2+0x6cc/0x1620 ip_output+0x161/0x270 ip_push_pending_frames+0x155/0x1a0 raw_sendmsg+0xe13/0x1550 __sys_sendto+0x3bf/0x4e0 __x64_sys_sendto+0xdc/0x1b0 do_syscall_64+0x5b/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e The reproduction command is as follows: sysctl -w net.core.dev_weight=0 ping 127.0.0.1 This is because when the napi's weight is set to 0, process_backlog() may return 0 and clear the NAPI_STATE_SCHED bit of napi->state, causing this napi to be re-polled in net_rx_action() until __do_softirq() times out. Since the NAPI_STATE_SCHED bit has been cleared, napi_schedule_rps() can be retriggered in enqueue_to_backlog(), causing this issue. Making the napi's weight always non-zero solves this problem. Triggering this issue requires system-wide admin (setting is not namespaced).
How severe is CVE-2025-21806?
CVE-2025-21806 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-21806 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (9th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-21806?
CVE-2025-21806 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-21806?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-21806 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?
Yes. CVE-2025-21806 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-5987.
When was CVE-2025-21806 published?
CVE-2025-21806 was published on 2025-02-27 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

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