Kernel panic via mlx5 IPsec lock inversion
Published Jan 31, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Improper locking in Linux kernel 6.4 through 6.6.73, 6.7 through 6.12.10, and 6.13-rc1 through 6.13-rc7 allows local users to cause a panic. The mlx5e IPsec SA-add path marks SA mode under a plain spin lock instead of the bottom-half-safe variant, while SA deletion unnecessarily flushes a workqueue and reverses lock ordering. Reachability requires a debug kernel, mlx5 hardware, and IPsec packet offload in tunnel mode; exploitation interrupts the host without reported data disclosure or modification.
Summary
What happened
Improper locking in Linux kernel 6.4 through 6.6.73, 6.7 through 6.12.10, and 6.13-rc1 through 6.13-rc7 allows local users to cause a panic. The mlx5e IPsec SA-add path marks SA mode under a plain spin lock instead of the bottom-half-safe variant, while SA deletion unnecessarily flushes a workqueue and reverses lock ordering. Reachability requires a debug kernel, mlx5 hardware, and IPsec packet offload in tunnel mode; exploitation interrupts the host without reported data disclosure or modification.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-21674
- Published
- Jan 31, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-667, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 31, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 11, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4c24272b4e2befca6ad1409c3c9aaa16c24b1099 <2c3688090f8a1f085230aa839cc63e4a7b977df0
- Affected versionversion=4c24272b4e2befca6ad1409c3c9aaa16c24b1099 <6d3d69c070d920fbb146d73dd3899a50f25d0901
- Affected versionversion=4c24272b4e2befca6ad1409c3c9aaa16c24b1099 <87c4417a902151cfe4363166245a3671a08c256c
- Affected versionversion=6.4
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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