CVE-2025-21884
CVE-2025-21884CVE-2025-21884
linux / linux_kernel
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: better track kernel sockets lifetime
While kernel sockets are dismantled during pernet_operations->exit(),
their freeing can be delayed by any tx packets still held in qdisc
or device queues, due to skb_set_owner_w() prior calls.
This then trigger the following warning from ref_tracker_dir_exit() [1]
To fix this, make sure that kernel sockets own a reference on net->passive.
Add sk_net_refcnt_upgrade() helper, used whenever a kernel socket
is converted to a refcounted one.
[1]
[ 136.263918][ T35] ref_tracker: net notrefcnt@ffff8880638f01e0 has 1/2 users at
[ 136.263918][ T35] sk_alloc+0x2b3/0x370
[ 136.263918][ T35] inet6_create+0x6ce/0x10f0
[ 136.263918][ T35] __sock_create+0x4c0/0xa30
[ 136.263918][ T35] inet_ctl_sock_create+0xc2/0x250
[ 136.263918][ T35] igmp6_net_init+0x39/0x390
[ 136.263918][ T35] ops_init+0x31e/0x590
[ 136.263918][ T35] setup_
Scoring
| CVSS | 7.8 () |
| Vector | CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H |
| Last modified | 2026-07-30 |