CVE-2025-21676: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fec: handle page_pool_dev_alloc_pages error The fec_enet_update_cbd functio...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fec: handle page_pool_dev_alloc_pages error The fec_enet_update_cbd function calls page_pool_dev_alloc_pages but did not handle the case when it returned NULL. There was a WARN_ON(!new_page) but it would still proceed to use the NULL pointer and then crash. This case does seem somewhat rare but when the system is under memory pressure it can happen. One case where I can duplicate this with some frequency is when writing over a smbd share to a SATA HDD attached to an imx6q. Setting /proc/sys/vm/min_free_kbytes to higher values also seems to solve the problem for my test case. But it still seems wrong that the fec driver ignores the memory allocation error and can crash. This commit handles the allocation error by dropping the current packet.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.19%

9.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Weakness Enumeration

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.1, < 6.6.74	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.7, < 6.12.11	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	6.13	Rc1

References

Timeline

Published: Jan 31, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21676?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: fec: handle page_pool_dev_alloc_pages error The fec_enet_update_cbd function calls page_pool_dev_alloc_pages but did not handle the case when it returned NULL. There was a WARN_ON(!new_page) but it would still proceed to use the NULL pointer and then crash. This case does seem somewhat rare but when the system is under memory pressure it can happen. One case where I can duplicate this with some frequency is when writing over a smbd share to a SATA HDD attached to an imx6q. Setting /proc/sys/vm/min_free_kbytes to higher values also seems to solve the problem for my test case. But it still seems wrong that the fec driver ignores the memory allocation error and can crash. This commit handles the allocation error by dropping the current packet.

How severe is CVE-2025-21676?

CVE-2025-21676 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.19% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2025-21676?

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.