Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-21680

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-31
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.177 / 6.1.127 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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: pktgen: Avoid out-of-bounds access in get_imix_entries Passing a sufficient amount of imix entries leads to invalid access to the pkt_dev->imix_entries array because of the incorrect boundary check. UBSAN: array-index-out-of-bounds in net/core/pktgen.c:874:24 index 20 is out of range for type 'imix_pkt [20]' CPU: 2 PID: 1210 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.10.0-rc1 #121 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996) Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl lib/dump_stack.c:117 __ubsan_handle_out_of_bounds lib/ubsan.c:429 get_imix_entries net/core/pktgen.c:874 pktgen_if_write net/core/pktgen.c:1063 pde_write fs/proc/inode.c:334 proc_reg_write fs/proc/inode.c:346 vfs_write fs/read_write.c:593 ksys_write fs/read_write.c:644 do_syscall_64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130 Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with SVACE. [ fp: allow to fill the array completely; minor changelog cleanup ]

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 5.15, < 5.15.177>= 5.16, < 6.1.127>= 6.2, < 6.6.74>= 6.7, < 6.12.11= 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 5.15.177 / 6.1.127 / 6.6.74 or later
Fixed in 5.15.1776.1.1276.6.74
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

5.15.177, 6.1.127, 6.6.74, or 6.12.11 (depending on which major kernel branch is in use)

  1. Identify your current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Consult your Linux distribution's kernel package repository or vendor documentation to obtain a kernel version that includes the fix
  3. For Longterm (5.15) branches: upgrade to >= 5.15.177
  4. For Stable (6.1) branches: upgrade to >= 6.1.127
  5. For Stable (6.6) branches: upgrade to >= 6.6.74
  6. For Stable (6.7-6.12) branches: upgrade to >= 6.12.11
  7. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
Caveat Standard kernel upgrade risks apply - ensure driver and module compatibility with the new kernel version before production deployment

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 $1,950. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2025-21680 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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