CVE-2025-21981
MediumIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ice: fix memory leak in aRFS after reset Fix aRFS (accelerated Receive Flow Steering) structures memory leak by adding a checker to verify if aRFS memory is already allocated while configuring VSI. aRFS objects are allocated in two cases: - as part of VSI initialization (at probe), and - as part of reset handling However, VSI reconfiguration executed during reset involves memory allocation one more time, without prior releasing already allocated resources. This led to the memory leak with the following signature: [root@os-delivery ~]# cat /sys/kernel/debug/kmemleak unreferenced object 0xff3c1ca7252e6000 (size 8192): comm "kworker/0:0", pid 8, jiffies 4296833052 hex dump (first 32 bytes): 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 ................ backtrace (crc 0): [<ffffffff991ec485>] __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x275/0x340 [<ffffffffc0a6e06a>] ice_init_arfs+0x3a/0xe0 [ice] [<ffffffffc09f1027>] ice_vsi_cfg_def+0x607/0x850 [ice] [<ffffffffc09f244b>] ice_vsi_setup+0x5b/0x130 [ice] [<ffffffffc09c2131>] ice_init+0x1c1/0x460 [ice] [<ffffffffc09c64af>] ice_probe+0x2af/0x520 [ice] [<ffffffff994fbcd3>] local_pci_probe+0x43/0xa0 [<ffffffff98f07103>] work_for_cpu_fn+0x13/0x20 [<ffffffff98f0b6d9>] process_one_work+0x179/0x390 [<ffffffff98f0c1e9>] worker_thread+0x239/0x340 [<ffffffff98f14abc>] kthread+0xcc/0x100 [<ffffffff98e45a6d>] ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50 [<ffffffff98e083ba>] ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 ...
CVSS 3.1 score
5.5
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Weakness type
CWE-401CVE-2025-21981 is a Memory Leak vulnerability
What is Memory Leak?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. Learn more on MITRE CWE
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.8
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.10.236,
5.15.180,
6.1.132,
6.6.84,
6.12.20,
6.13.8,
6.14
and their respective stable series.
References
The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-21981 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.
-
-
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23d97f18901ef5e4e264e3b1777fe65c760186b5
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b27e6e10a32589fcd293b8933ab6de9387a460e
-
PatchKernel patch commithttps://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5d30d256661fc11b6e73fac6c3783a702e1006a3
Frequently asked questions
-
What is CVE-2025-21981?
CVE-2025-21981 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a Memory Leak flaw (CWE-401) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.8 onward and has been patched in 5.10.236, 5.15.180, 6.1.132 and others. CVE-2025-21981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
-
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-21981?
CVE-2025-21981 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. -
Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-21981?
Yes — CVE-2025-21981 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.10.236, 5.15.180, 6.1.132 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.8 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
-
Is CVE-2025-21981 actively exploited?
No — CVE-2025-21981 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
-
What is Memory Leak (CWE-401)?
The product does not release memory after use, causing gradual resource exhaustion. View CWE-401 on MITRE CWE →