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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-21649

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-19
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.10 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: hns3: fix kernel crash when 1588 is sent on HIP08 devices Currently, HIP08 devices does not register the ptp devices, so the hdev->ptp is NULL. But the tx process would still try to set hardware time stamp info with SKBTX_HW_TSTAMP flag and cause a kernel crash. [ 128.087798] Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000018 ... [ 128.280251] pc : hclge_ptp_set_tx_info+0x2c/0x140 [hclge] [ 128.286600] lr : hclge_ptp_set_tx_info+0x20/0x140 [hclge] [ 128.292938] sp : ffff800059b93140 [ 128.297200] x29: ffff800059b93140 x28: 0000000000003280 [ 128.303455] x27: ffff800020d48280 x26: ffff0cb9dc814080 [ 128.309715] x25: ffff0cb9cde93fa0 x24: 0000000000000001 [ 128.315969] x23: 0000000000000000 x22: 0000000000000194 [ 128.322219] x21: ffff0cd94f986000 x20: 0000000000000000 [ 128.328462] x19: ffff0cb9d2a166c0 x18: 0000000000000000 [ 128.334698] x17: 0000000000000000 x16: ffffcf1fc523ed24 [ 128.340934] x15: 0000ffffd530a518 x14: 0000000000000000 [ 128.347162] x13: ffff0cd6bdb31310 x12: 0000000000000368 [ 128.353388] x11: ffff0cb9cfbc7070 x10: ffff2cf55dd11e02 [ 128.359606] x9 : ffffcf1f85a212b4 x8 : ffff0cd7cf27dab0 [ 128.365831] x7 : 0000000000000a20 x6 : ffff0cd7cf27d000 [ 128.372040] x5 : 0000000000000000 x4 : 000000000000ffff [ 128.378243] x3 : 0000000000000400 x2 : ffffcf1f85a21294 [ 128.384437] x1 : ffff0cb9db520080 x0 : ffff0cb9db500080 [ 128.390626] Call trace: [ 128.393964] hclge_ptp_set_tx_info+0x2c/0x140 [hclge] [ 128.399893] hns3_nic_net_xmit+0x39c/0x4c4 [hns3] [ 128.405468] xmit_one.constprop.0+0xc4/0x200 [ 128.410600] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x54/0xf0 [ 128.415556] sch_direct_xmit+0xe8/0x634 [ 128.420246] __dev_queue_xmit+0x224/0xc70 [ 128.425101] dev_queue_xmit+0x1c/0x40 [ 128.429608] ovs_vport_send+0xac/0x1a0 [openvswitch] [ 128.435409] do_output+0x60/0x17c [openvswitch] [ 128.440770] do_execute_actions+0x898/0x8c4 [openvswitch] [ 128.446993] ovs_execute_actions+0x64/0xf0 [openvswitch] [ 128.453129] ovs_dp_process_packet+0xa0/0x224 [openvswitch] [ 128.459530] ovs_vport_receive+0x7c/0xfc [openvswitch] [ 128.465497] internal_dev_xmit+0x34/0xb0 [openvswitch] [ 128.471460] xmit_one.constprop.0+0xc4/0x200 [ 128.476561] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x54/0xf0 [ 128.481489] __dev_queue_xmit+0x968/0xc70 [ 128.486330] dev_queue_xmit+0x1c/0x40 [ 128.490856] ip_finish_output2+0x250/0x570 [ 128.495810] __ip_finish_output+0x170/0x1e0 [ 128.500832] ip_finish_output+0x3c/0xf0 [ 128.505504] ip_output+0xbc/0x160 [ 128.509654] ip_send_skb+0x58/0xd4 [ 128.513892] udp_send_skb+0x12c/0x354 [ 128.518387] udp_sendmsg+0x7a8/0x9c0 [ 128.522793] inet_sendmsg+0x4c/0x8c [ 128.527116] __sock_sendmsg+0x48/0x80 [ 128.531609] __sys_sendto+0x124/0x164 [ 128.536099] __arm64_sys_sendto+0x30/0x5c [ 128.540935] invoke_syscall+0x50/0x130 [ 128.545508] el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x10c/0x124 [ 128.551205] do_el0_svc+0x34/0xdc [ 128.555347] el0_svc+0x20/0x30 [ 128.559227] el0_sync_handler+0xb8/0xc0 [ 128.563883] el0_sync+0x160/0x180

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 5.14, < 6.12.10= 6.13

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.10 or later
Fixed in 6.12.10
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 6.12.10, 6.13.1, or 6.14 (any version >= the fixed release)

  1. 1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. 2. Check if the current version is one of the affected versions: >= 5.14, < 6.12.10, or = 6.13
  3. 3. Plan kernel upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 6.12.10 or later, OR 6.13.1 or later, OR 6.14 or later
  4. 4. Before upgrading, verify the fix commit (9741e72b2286de8b38de9db685588ac421a95c87) is included in the target kernel version by checking the kernel release notes or changelog
  5. 5. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
  6. 6. Perform a full backup of the system
  7. 7. Upgrade the kernel using the distribution's package manager (e.g., `apt-get dist-upgrade`, `yum update`, or equivalent)
  8. 8. Reboot the system into the new kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may introduce compatibility changes with out-of-tree drivers or specific hardware configurations; ensure all dependent modules are available in the new kernel

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21649 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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