Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2025-21984)
Summary
Vulnerability in Linux kernel (CVE-2025-21984). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Original description
The description as published by the source.
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
mm: fix kernel BUG when userfaultfd_move encounters swapcache
userfaultfd_move() checks whether the PTE entry is present or a
swap entry.
-
If the PTE entry is present, move_present_pte() handles folio
migration by setting:src_folio->index = linear_page_index(dst_vma, dst_addr);
-
If the PTE entry is a swap entry, move_swap_pte() simply copies
the PTE to the new dst_addr.
This approach is incorrect because, even if the PTE is a swap entry,
it can still reference a folio that remains in the swap cache.
This creates a race window between steps 2 and 4.
- add_to_swap: The folio is added to the swapcache.
- try_to_unmap: PTEs are converted to swap entries.
- pageout: The folio is written back.
- Swapcache is cleared.
If userfaultfd_move() occurs in the window between steps 2 and 4,
after the swap PTE has been moved to the destination, accessing the
destination triggers do_swap_page(), which may locate the folio in
the swapcache. However, since the folio's index has not been updated
to match the destination VMA, do_swap_page() will detect a mismatch.
This can result in two critical issues depending on the system
configuration.
If KSM is disabled, both small and large folios can trigger a BUG
during the add_rmap operation due to:
page_pgoff(folio, page) != linear_page_index(vma, address)
[ 13.336953] page: refcount:6 mapcount:1 mapping:00000000f43db19c index:0xffffaf150 pfn:0x4667c
[…
Source: NIST National Vulnerability Database NVD
Auto-generated summary
Assembled by SecPulse from the source data (CVSS, CWE, affected versions) using templates — no AI involved. Check the original description and references below for exact details.
A vulnerability tracked as CVE-2025-21984 has been found in Linux kernel.
Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover. CVSS score: 7.8/10.
What to do: apply the vendor's official patched release.
If unsure, ask your IT team or search "Linux kernel CVE-2025-21984" on the vendor's site.
CVE-2025-21984 (Linux kernel) — CWE-362 / CVSS v3 7.8
Attack vector: local / no user interaction
Plan: 1) Audit SBOM/dependencies, 2) Stage→prod upgrade, 3) Add WAF/proxy monitoring on affected endpoints, 4) Hunt IOCs in logs.
Refs: see the GHSA / vendor advisory / patched release linked on this page.
A vulnerability (CWE-362) exists in Linux kernel.
Check the vendor advisory for the affected versions of Linux kernel.
Severity: High (CVSS 7.8/10). Successful exploitation can lead to full system takeover.
Update to the patched release per vendor advisory.
Until the patch is applied: disable the affected feature, apply WAF rules, or restrict access via network ACLs.
Search webserver/proxy logs for unusual request patterns matching this CVE's known IOCs. Audit SBOM/dependencies to find affected services.
Response actions
Concrete steps and command examples for SOC/SRE teams to execute in order
-
1Identify exposure identify
Audit SBOM/dependencies for affected components.資産台帳・SBOM・依存マニフェストで Linux kernel を使っているサービスとバージョンを洗い出す。
-
2Post-deployment verification verify
Confirm patched version is live in productionパッチ適用後、ステージングで PoC または同等の悪用パターンを再現して脆弱性が閉じたことを確認。本番ではアクセスログ・WAF でアラート再発が無いか継続監視。
Affected packages
Fix status by distribution
Fixed packages published by each distribution for this CVE
- BellSoft Alpaquita BELL-CVE-2025-21984 linux-lts Fixed in: 6.12.41-r0
- Debian DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21984 linux Fixed in: 6.12.20-1
- Ubuntu UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21984 linux-hwe-edge
References
- advisory github.com
- advisory nvd.nist.gov
- package git.kernel.org
- web git.kernel.org
- web git.kernel.org
- web git.kernel.org