Kernel warning via unordered inherited PMU contexts
Published Apr 1, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
Race condition in Linux kernel 6.2 and affected later branches allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through inherited perf events. Parent pmu_ctx_list entries follow PMU-addition time, while inherited child entries follow event-group order, violating the ordering assumed by perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data. The disclosed reproducer requires permitted perf-event access and an LBR event; the reported result is a warning, not code execution or data access.
Summary
What happened
Race condition in Linux kernel 6.2 and affected later branches allows local users to trigger a kernel warning through inherited perf events. Parent pmu_ctx_list entries follow PMU-addition time, while inherited child entries follow event-group order, violating the ordering assumed by perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data. The disclosed reproducer requires permitted perf-event access and an LBR event; the reported result is a warning, not code execution or data access.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-21895
- Published
- Apr 1, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-362, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Apr 1, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=6.2
- Affected versionversion=bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b <2016066c66192a99d9e0ebf433789c490a6785a2
- Affected versionversion=bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b <3e812a70732d84b7873cea61a7f6349b9a9dcbf5
- Affected versionversion=bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b <7d582eb6e4e100959ba07083d7563453c8c2a343
- Affected versionversion=bd27568117664b8b3e259721393df420ed51f57b <f0c3971405cef6892844016aa710121a02da3a23
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Linux perf-event warning reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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