CVE-2025-21867: bpf, test_run: Fix use-after-free issue in eth_skb_pkt_type()

Vulnerability summary

CVE-2025-21867 is a high (CVSS 7.8) Use After Free vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.21% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 11.3% of scored vulnerabilities.

Timeline

1. 27-03-2025
   PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
2. 15-10-2026
   Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, test_run: Fix use-after-free issue in eth_skb_pkt_type() KMSAN reported a use-after-free issue in eth_skb_pkt_type()[1]. The cause of the issue was that eth_skb_pkt_type() accessed skb's data that didn't contain an Ethernet header. This occurs when bpf_prog_test_run_xdp() passes an invalid value as the user_data argument to bpf_test_init(). Fix this by returning an error when user_data is less than ETH_HLEN in bpf_test_init(). Additionally, remove the check for "if (user_size > size)" as it is unnecessary. [1] BUG: KMSAN: use-after-free in eth_skb_pkt_type include/linux/etherdevice.h:627 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: use-after-free in eth_type_trans+0x4ee/0x980 net/ethernet/eth.c:165 eth_skb_pkt_type include/linux/etherdevice.h:627 [inline] eth_type_trans+0x4ee/0x980 net/ethernet/eth.c:165 __xdp_build_skb_from_frame+0x5a8/0xa50 net/core/xdp.c:635 xdp_recv_frames net/bpf/test_run.c:272 [inline] xdp_test_run_batch net/bpf/test_run.c:361 [inline] bpf_test_run_xdp_live+0x2954/0x3330 net/bpf/test_run.c:390 bpf_prog_test_run_xdp+0x148e/0x1b10 net/bpf/test_run.c:1318 bpf_prog_test_run+0x5b7/0xa30 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:4371 __sys_bpf+0x6a6/0xe20 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:5777 __do_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:5866 [inline] __se_sys_bpf kernel/bpf/syscall.c:5864 [inline] __x64_sys_bpf+0xa4/0xf0 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:5864 x64_sys_call+0x2ea0/0x3d90 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:322 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xd9/0x1d0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Uninit was created at: free_pages_prepare mm/page_alloc.c:1056 [inline] free_unref_page+0x156/0x1320 mm/page_alloc.c:2657 __free_pages+0xa3/0x1b0 mm/page_alloc.c:4838 bpf_ringbuf_free kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c:226 [inline] ringbuf_map_free+0xff/0x1e0 kernel/bpf/ringbuf.c:235 bpf_map_free kernel/bpf/syscall.c:838 [inline] bpf_map_free_deferred+0x17c/0x310 kernel/bpf/syscall.c:862 process_one_work kernel/workqueue.c:3229 [inline] process_scheduled_works+0xa2b/0x1b60 kernel/workqueue.c:3310 worker_thread+0xedf/0x1550 kernel/workqueue.c:3391 kthread+0x535/0x6b0 kernel/kthread.c:389 ret_from_fork+0x6e/0x90 arch/x86/kernel/process.c:147 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:244 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 17276 Comm: syz.1.16450 Not tainted 6.12.0-05490-g9bb88c659673 #8 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-3.fc41 04/01/2014

• CWE-416Use After FreeThe product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.