Linux Kernel up to 6.6.82/6.12.18/6.13.6 drivers/cdx/cdx.c driver_override_show/driver_override_store use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.82/6.12.18/6.13.6. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this issue is the function driver_override_show/driver_override_store of the file drivers/cdx/cdx.c. Executing a manipulation can lead to use after free. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2025-21915. There is no exploit available. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.82/6.12.18/6.13.6. This vulnerability affects the function driver_override_show/driver_override_store of the file drivers/cdx/cdx.c. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cdx: Fix possible UAF error in driver_override_show() Fixed a possible UAF problem in driver_override_show() in drivers/cdx/cdx.c This function driver_override_show() is part of DEVICE_ATTR_RW, which includes both driver_override_show() and driver_override_store(). These functions can be executed concurrently in sysfs. The driver_override_store() function uses driver_set_override() to update the driver_override value, and driver_set_override() internally locks the device (device_lock(dev)). If driver_override_show() reads cdx_dev->driver_override without locking, it could potentially access a freed pointer if driver_override_store() frees the string concurrently. This could lead to printing a kernel address, which is a security risk since DEVICE_ATTR can be read by all users. Additionally, a similar pattern is used in drivers/amba/bus.c, as well as many other bus drivers, where device_lock() is taken in the show function, and it has been working without issues. This potential bug was detected by our experimental static analysis tool, which analyzes locking APIs and paired functions to identify data races and atomicity violations.

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability was named CVE-2025-21915 since 12/29/2024. The exploitation appears to be easy. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $0-$5k (estimation calculated on 02/01/2026).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 241070 (Ubuntu 24.04 LTS : Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities (USN-7606-1)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.6.83, 6.12.19 or 6.13.7 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch d7b339bbc887bcfc1a5b620bfc70c6fbb8f733bf/8473135f89c0949436a22adb05b8cece2fb3da91/0439d541aa8d3444ad41c39e39eb71acb57acde3/91d44c1afc61a2fec37a9c7a3485368309391e0b is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (241070) and CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2025-0683). Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.

Affected

• Google Container-Optimized OS
• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• RESF Rocky Linux
• Dell Avamar
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• SolarWinds Security Event Manager
• Dell NetWorker
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway
• IBM Security Verify Access

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.6.0
• 6.6.1
• 6.6.2
• 6.6.3
• 6.6.4
• 6.6.5
• 6.6.6
• 6.6.7
• 6.6.8
• 6.6.9
• 6.6.10
• 6.6.11
• 6.6.12
• 6.6.13
• 6.6.14
• 6.6.15
• 6.6.16
• 6.6.17
• 6.6.18
• 6.6.19
• 6.6.20
• 6.6.21
• 6.6.22
• 6.6.23
• 6.6.24
• 6.6.25
• 6.6.26
• 6.6.27
• 6.6.28
• 6.6.29
• 6.6.30
• 6.6.31
• 6.6.32
• 6.6.33
• 6.6.34
• 6.6.35
• 6.6.36
• 6.6.37
• 6.6.38
• 6.6.39
• 6.6.40
• 6.6.41
• 6.6.42
• 6.6.43
• 6.6.44
• 6.6.45
• 6.6.46
• 6.6.47
• 6.6.48
• 6.6.49
• 6.6.50
• 6.6.51
• 6.6.52
• 6.6.53
• 6.6.54
• 6.6.55
• 6.6.56
• 6.6.57
• 6.6.58
• 6.6.59
• 6.6.60
• 6.6.61
• 6.6.62
• 6.6.63
• 6.6.64
• 6.6.65
• 6.6.66
• 6.6.67
• 6.6.68
• 6.6.69
• 6.6.70
• 6.6.71
• 6.6.72
• 6.6.73
• 6.6.74
• 6.6.75
• 6.6.76
• 6.6.77
• 6.6.78
• 6.6.79
• 6.6.80
• 6.6.81
• 6.6.82
• 6.12.0
• 6.12.1
• 6.12.2
• 6.12.3
• 6.12.4
• 6.12.5
• 6.12.6
• 6.12.7
• 6.12.8
• 6.12.9
• 6.12.10
• 6.12.11
• 6.12.12
• 6.12.13
• 6.12.14
• 6.12.15
• 6.12.16
• 6.12.17
• 6.12.18
• 6.13.0
• 6.13.1
• 6.13.2
• 6.13.3
• 6.13.4
• 6.13.5
• 6.13.6

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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Entryinfo

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