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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-21980: sched: address a potential NULL pointer dereference in the GRED scheduler.

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.19% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 0f0a152957d64ce45b4c27c687e7d087e8f45079, 115ef44a98220fddfab37a39a19370497cd718b9, 5f996b4f80c2cef1f9c77275055e7fcba44c9199; azl3 kernel 6.6.82.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.85.1-2; azl3 kernel 6.6.85.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.85.1-2.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 0f0a152957d64ce45b4c27c687e7d087e8f45079, 115ef44a98220fddfab37a39a19370497cd718b9, 5f996b4f80c2cef1f9c77275055e7fcba44c9199; azl3 kernel 6.6.82.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.85.1-2; azl3 kernel 6.6.85.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.85.1-2 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched: address a potential NULL pointer dereference in the GRED scheduler. If kzalloc in gred_init returns a NULL pointer, the code follows the error handling path, invoking gred_destroy. This, in turn, calls gred_offload, where memset could receive a NULL pointer as input, potentially leading to a kernel crash. When table->opt is NULL in gred_init(), gred_change_table_def() is not called yet, so it is not necessary to call ->ndo_setup_tc() in gred_offload().

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Apr 1, 2025
Updated
Jun 17, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 9th percentile

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-21980

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.132
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.6.84
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.20
  • linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.13.8
  • linux linux kernel6.14

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 5.16affected
    • f25c0515c521375154c62c72447869f40218c861 and later · before d02c9acd68950a444acda18d514e2b41f846cb7faffected · git
    • f25c0515c521375154c62c72447869f40218c861 and later · before 0f0a152957d64ce45b4c27c687e7d087e8f45079affected · git
    • f25c0515c521375154c62c72447869f40218c861 and later · before 68896dd50180b38ea552e49a6a00b685321e5769affected · git
    • f25c0515c521375154c62c72447869f40218c861 and later · before 5f996b4f80c2cef1f9c77275055e7fcba44c9199affected · git
    • f25c0515c521375154c62c72447869f40218c861 and later · before 115ef44a98220fddfab37a39a19370497cd718b9affected · git
    • before 5.16not affected · semver
    • 6.1.132 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver
    • 6.6.84 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver
    • 6.12.20 and later · up to and including 6.12.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.133-16.1.133-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.20-16.12.20-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-21978Apr 1, 2025 · drm/hyperv: Fix address space leak when Hyper-V DRM device is removed
    22Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-21979Apr 1, 2025 · wifi: cfg80211: cancel wiphy_work before freeing wiphy
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-21981Apr 1, 2025 · ice: fix memory leak in aRFS after reset
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux0f0a152957d64ce45b4c27c687e7d087e8f45079Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux115ef44a98220fddfab37a39a19370497cd718b9Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5f996b4f80c2cef1f9c77275055e7fcba44c9199Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux68896dd50180b38ea552e49a6a00b685321e5769Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxd02c9acd68950a444acda18d514e2b41f846cb7fVendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.82.1-1 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.85.1-2 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
azl3 kernel 6.6.85.1-2 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.85.1-2 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.1.133-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

CWE-476 · NULL Pointer Dereference

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (5 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records