CVE-2020-25221
HIGHCVSS 7.8/10EPSS 0.67%
Last modified
CVE-2020-25221 is a high-severity vulnerability rated 7.8/10 on the CVSS scale. get_gate_page in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 5.7.x and 5.8.x before 5.8.7 allows privilege escalation because of incorrect reference counting (caused by gate page mishandling) of the struct page that backs the vsyscall page. The result is a refcount underflow. EPSS estimates a 0.67% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.
Description
get_gate_page in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 5.7.x and 5.8.x before 5.8.7 allows privilege escalation because of incorrect reference counting (caused by gate page mishandling) of the struct page that backs the vsyscall page. The result is a refcount underflow. This can be triggered by any 64-bit process that can use ptrace() or process_vm_readv(), aka CID-9fa2dd946743.
Metrics
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Weakness Enumeration
Affected Software
| Vendor | Product | Versions |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux Kernel | >= 5.7.0, < 5.8.7 |
| Netapp | Cloud Backup | All versions |
| Netapp | Solidfire\, Enterprise Sds \& Hci Storage Node | All versions |
| Netapp | Solidfire \& Hci Management Node | All versions |
| Netapp | Hci Compute Node | All versions |
| Netapp | Solidfire Baseboard Management Controller | All versions |
References
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/09/10/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.8.7Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/8891adc61dce2a8a41fc0c23262b681c3ec4b73aIssue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/9fa2dd946743ae6f30dc4830da19147bf100a7f2Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201001-0003/Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/09/08/4Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/09/10/4Mailing List, Third Party Advisory
- https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.8.7Release Notes, Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/8891adc61dce2a8a41fc0c23262b681c3ec4b73aIssue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://git.kernel.org/linus/9fa2dd946743ae6f30dc4830da19147bf100a7f2Issue Tracking, Patch, Vendor Advisory
- https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20201001-0003/Third Party Advisory
- https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/09/08/4Mailing List, Patch, Third Party Advisory
Timeline
- Published
- Last Modified
- Status
- Modified
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CVE-2020-25221?
get_gate_page in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 5.7.x and 5.8.x before 5.8.7 allows privilege escalation because of incorrect reference counting (caused by gate page mishandling) of the struct page that backs the vsyscall page. The result is a refcount underflow. This can be triggered by any 64-bit process that can use ptrace() or process_vm_readv(), aka CID-9fa2dd946743.
How severe is CVE-2020-25221?
CVE-2020-25221 has a CVSS score of 7.8/10 (HIGH severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.67% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2020-25221?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.
How Strix Helps
- How Strix found a critical auth bypass in etcdStrix autonomously discovered a critical authentication bypass in etcd, later designated CVE-2026-33413.
- Autonomous PentestingAI agents that find and validate exploitable vulnerabilities like this one across your applications.
- PR ReviewsPentest every pull request so vulnerable code is caught before it ships to production.
- AI Penetration TestingHow AI-driven penetration testing continuously covers your attack surface.
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