CVE-2025-21681: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: openvswitch: fix lockup on tx to unregistering netdev with carrier Commit in a f...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: openvswitch: fix lockup on tx to unregistering netdev with carrier Commit in a fixes tag attempted to fix the issue in the following sequence of calls: do_output -> ovs_vport_send -> dev_queue_xmit -> __dev_queue_xmit -> netdev_core_pick_tx -> skb_tx_hash When device is unregistering, the 'dev->real_num_tx_queues' goes to zero and the 'while (unlikely(hash >= qcount))' loop inside the 'skb_tx_hash' becomes infinite, locking up the core forever. But unfortunately, checking just the carrier status is not enough to fix the issue, because some devices may still be in unregistering state while reporting carrier status OK. One example of such device is a net/dummy. It sets carrier ON on start, but it doesn't implement .ndo_stop to set the carrier off. And it makes sense, because dummy doesn't really have a carrier. Therefore, while this device is unregistering, it's still easy to hit the infinite loop in the skb_tx_hash() from the OVS datapath. There might be other drivers that do the same, but dummy by itself is important for the OVS ecosystem, because it is frequently used as a packet sink for tcpdump while debugging OVS deployments. And when the issue is hit, the only way to recover is to reboot. Fix that by also checking if the device is running. The running state is handled by the net core during unregistering, so it covers unregistering case better, and we don't really need to send packets to devices that are not running anyway. While only checking the running state might be enough, the carrier check is preserved. The running and the carrier states seem disjoined throughout the code and different drivers. And other core functions like __dev_direct_xmit() check both before attempting to transmit a packet. So, it seems safer to check both flags in OVS as well.

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

CWE-835

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions	Update
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.1.25, < 6.1.127	—
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2.12, < 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-2025-21681?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: openvswitch: fix lockup on tx to unregistering netdev with carrier Commit in a fixes tag attempted to fix the issue in the following sequence of calls: do_output -> ovs_vport_send -> dev_queue_xmit -> __dev_queue_xmit -> netdev_core_pick_tx -> skb_tx_hash When device is unregistering, the 'dev->real_num_tx_queues' goes to zero and the 'while (unlikely(hash >= qcount))' loop inside the 'skb_tx_hash' becomes infinite, locking up the core forever. But unfortunately, checking just the carrier status is not enough to fix the issue, because some devices may still be in unregistering state while reporting carrier status OK. One example of such device is a net/dummy. It sets carrier ON on start, but it doesn't implement .ndo_stop to set the carrier off. And it makes sense, because dummy doesn't really have a carrier. Therefore, while this device is unregistering, it's still easy to hit the infinite loop in the skb_tx_hash() from the OVS datapath. There might be other drivers that do the same, but dummy by itself is important for the OVS ecosystem, because it is frequently used as a packet sink for tcpdump while debugging OVS deployments. And when the issue is hit, the only way to recover is to reboot. Fix that by also checking if the device is running. The running state is handled by the net core during unregistering, so it covers unregistering case better, and we don't really need to send packets to devices that are not running anyway. While only checking the running state might be enough, the carrier check is preserved. The running and the carrier states seem disjoined throughout the code and different drivers. And other core functions like __dev_direct_xmit() check both before attempting to transmit a packet. So, it seems safer to check both flags in OVS as well.

How severe is CVE-2025-21681?

CVE-2025-21681 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-2025-21681?

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.