Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-21707

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-02-27

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.129 / 6.6.76 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mptcp: consolidate suboption status MPTCP maintains the received sub-options status is the bitmask carrying the received suboptions and in several bitfields carrying per suboption additional info. Zeroing the bitmask before parsing is not enough to ensure a consistent status, and the MPTCP code has to additionally clear some bitfiled depending on the actually parsed suboption. The above schema is fragile, and syzbot managed to trigger a path where a relevant bitfield is not cleared/initialized: BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in __mptcp_expand_seq net/mptcp/options.c:1030 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in mptcp_expand_seq net/mptcp/protocol.h:864 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in ack_update_msk net/mptcp/options.c:1060 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in mptcp_incoming_options+0x2036/0x3d30 net/mptcp/options.c:1209 __mptcp_expand_seq net/mptcp/options.c:1030 [inline] mptcp_expand_seq net/mptcp/protocol.h:864 [inline] ack_update_msk net/mptcp/options.c:1060 [inline] mptcp_incoming_options+0x2036/0x3d30 net/mptcp/options.c:1209 tcp_data_queue+0xb4/0x7be0 net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:5233 tcp_rcv_established+0x1061/0x2510 net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:6264 tcp_v4_do_rcv+0x7f3/0x11a0 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1916 tcp_v4_rcv+0x51df/0x5750 net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:2351 ip_protocol_deliver_rcu+0x2a3/0x13d0 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:205 ip_local_deliver_finish+0x336/0x500 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:233 NF_HOOK include/linux/netfilter.h:314 [inline] ip_local_deliver+0x21f/0x490 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:254 dst_input include/net/dst.h:460 [inline] ip_rcv_finish+0x4a2/0x520 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:447 NF_HOOK include/linux/netfilter.h:314 [inline] ip_rcv+0xcd/0x380 net/ipv4/ip_input.c:567 __netif_receive_skb_one_core net/core/dev.c:5704 [inline] __netif_receive_skb+0x319/0xa00 net/core/dev.c:5817 process_backlog+0x4ad/0xa50 net/core/dev.c:6149 __napi_poll+0xe7/0x980 net/core/dev.c:6902 napi_poll net/core/dev.c:6971 [inline] net_rx_action+0xa5a/0x19b0 net/core/dev.c:7093 handle_softirqs+0x1a0/0x7c0 kernel/softirq.c:561 __do_softirq+0x14/0x1a kernel/softirq.c:595 do_softirq+0x9a/0x100 kernel/softirq.c:462 __local_bh_enable_ip+0x9f/0xb0 kernel/softirq.c:389 local_bh_enable include/linux/bottom_half.h:33 [inline] rcu_read_unlock_bh include/linux/rcupdate.h:919 [inline] __dev_queue_xmit+0x2758/0x57d0 net/core/dev.c:4493 dev_queue_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:3168 [inline] neigh_hh_output include/net/neighbour.h:523 [inline] neigh_output include/net/neighbour.h:537 [inline] ip_finish_output2+0x187c/0x1b70 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:236 __ip_finish_output+0x287/0x810 ip_finish_output+0x4b/0x600 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:324 NF_HOOK_COND include/linux/netfilter.h:303 [inline] ip_output+0x15f/0x3f0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:434 dst_output include/net/dst.h:450 [inline] ip_local_out net/ipv4/ip_output.c:130 [inline] __ip_queue_xmit+0x1f2a/0x20d0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:536 ip_queue_xmit+0x60/0x80 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:550 __tcp_transmit_skb+0x3cea/0x4900 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1468 tcp_transmit_skb net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:1486 [inline] tcp_write_xmit+0x3b90/0x9070 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:2829 __tcp_push_pending_frames+0xc4/0x380 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3012 tcp_send_fin+0x9f6/0xf50 net/ipv4/tcp_output.c:3618 __tcp_close+0x140c/0x1550 net/ipv4/tcp.c:3130 __mptcp_close_ssk+0x74e/0x16f0 net/mptcp/protocol.c:2496 mptcp_close_ssk+0x26b/0x2c0 net/mptcp/protocol.c:2550 mptcp_pm_nl_rm_addr_or_subflow+0x635/0xd10 net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:889 mptcp_pm_nl_rm_subflow_received net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:924 [inline] mptcp_pm_flush_addrs_and_subflows net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1688 [inline] mptcp_nl_flush_addrs_list net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1709 [inline] mptcp_pm_nl_flush_addrs_doit+0xe10/0x1630 net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1750 genl_family_rcv_msg_doit net/netlink/genetlink.c:1115 [inline] ---truncated---

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

How this class of weakness works · CWE-908

Memory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.

General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource 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

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 5.11, < 6.1.129>= 6.2, < 6.6.76>= 6.7, < 6.12.13>= 6.13, < 6.13.2

CVSS breakdown

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.1.129 / 6.6.76 / 6.12.13 or later

Fixed in 6.1.1296.6.766.12.13

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel 6.1.129+, 6.6.76+, 6.12.13+, or 6.13.2+ depending on your current branch

1. Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using 'uname -r'
2. Determine which major version branch you are on (e.g., 6.1.x, 6.6.x, 6.12.x, or 6.13.x)
3. Upgrade to a kernel version that includes the fix: for 6.1.x upgrade to >=6.1.129, for 6.2.x-6.6.x upgrade to >=6.6.76, for 6.7.x-6.12.x upgrade to >=6.12.13, for 6.13.x upgrade to >=6.13.2
4. On Debian/Ubuntu: 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install linux-image-generic' and reboot
5. On RHEL/CentOS: 'sudo yum update kernel' and reboot
6. On Fedora: 'sudo dnf update kernel' and reboot
7. Verify the new kernel is running with 'uname -r' after reboot

Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility issues with custom modules or specific hardware drivers

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 $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-21707 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2025-21707?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.1.129 / 6.6.76 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.5%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2025-21707 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

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

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References