# CVE-2025-21706: mptcp: pm: only set fullmesh for subflow endp

> A logic error in the Linux kernel's MPTCP path manager allows triggering a kernel warning, potentially leading to a denial of service.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-21706, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21706, GHSA-fx65-xwxc-78xx, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21706, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21706

## What is CVE-2025-21706?

CVE-2025-21706 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

mptcp: pm: only set fullmesh for subflow endp

With the in-kernel path-manager, it is possible to change the 'fullmesh'
flag. The code in mptcp_pm_nl_fullmesh() expects to change it only on
'subflow' endpoints, to recreate more or less subflows using the linked
address.

Unfortunately, the set_flags() hook was a bit more permissive, and
allowed 'implicit' endpoints to get the 'fullmesh' flag while it is not
allowed before.

That's what syzbot found, triggering the following warning:

  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 6499 at net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 __mark_subflow_endp_available net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 [inline]
  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 6499 at net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 mptcp_pm_nl_fullmesh net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1980 [inline]
  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 6499 at net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 mptcp_nl_set_flags net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:2003 [inline]
  WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 6499 at net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 mptcp_pm_nl_set_flags+0x974/0xdc0 net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:2064
  Modules linked in:
  CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 6499 Comm: syz.1.413 Not tainted 6.13.0-rc5-syzkaller-00172-gd1bf27c4e176 #0
  Hardware name: Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 09/13/2024
  RIP: 0010:__mark_subflow_endp_available net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1496 [inline]
  RIP: 0010:mptcp_pm_nl_fullmesh net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:1980 [inline]
  RIP: 0010:mptcp_nl_set_flags net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:2003 [inline]
  RIP: 0010:mptcp_pm_nl_set_flags+0x974/0xdc0 net/mptcp/pm_netlink.c:2064
  Code: 01 00 00 49 89 c5 e8 fb 45 e8 f5 e9 b8 fc ff ff e8 f1 45 e8 f5 4c 89 f7 be 03 00 00 00 e8 44 1d 0b f9 eb a0 e8 dd 45 e8 f5 90 <0f> 0b 90 e9 17 ff ff ff 89 d9 80 e1 07 38 c1 0f 8c c9 fc ff ff 48
  RSP: 0018:ffffc9000d307240 EFLAGS: 00010293
  RAX: ffffffff8bb72e03 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffff88807da88000
  RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 0000000000000000
  RBP: ffffc9000d307430 R08: ffffffff8bb72cf0 R09: 1ffff1100b842a5e
  R10: dffffc0000000000 R11: ffffed100b842a5f R12: ffff88801e2e5ac0
  R13: ffff88805c214800 R14: ffff88805c2152e8 R15: 1ffff1100b842a5d
  FS:  00005555619f6500(0000) GS:ffff8880b8600000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
  CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
  CR2: 0000000020002840 CR3: 00000000247e6000 CR4: 00000000003526f0
  DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
  DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
  Call Trace:
   <TASK>
   genl_family_rcv_msg_doit net/netlink/genetlink.c:1115 [inline]
   genl_family_rcv_msg net/netlink/genetlink.c:1195 [inline]
   genl_rcv_msg+0xb14/0xec0 net/netlink/genetlink.c:1210
   netlink_rcv_skb+0x1e3/0x430 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2542
   genl_rcv+0x28/0x40 net/netlink/genetlink.c:1219
   netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1321 [inline]
   netlink_unicast+0x7f6/0x990 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1347
   netlink_sendmsg+0x8e4/0xcb0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1891
   sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:711 [inline]
   __sock_sendmsg+0x221/0x270 net/socket.c:726
   ____sys_sendmsg+0x52a/0x7e0 net/socket.c:2583
   ___sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2637 [inline]
   __sys_sendmsg+0x269/0x350 net/socket.c:2669
   do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline]
   do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83
   entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
  RIP: 0033:0x7f5fe8785d29
  Code: ff ff c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 0f 1f 40 00 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 a8 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48
  RSP: 002b:00007fff571f5558 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002e
  RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007f5fe8975fa0 RCX: 00007f5fe8785d29
  RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 0000000020000480 RDI: 0000000000000007
  RBP: 00007f5fe8801b08 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000
  R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000000
  R13: 00007f5fe8975fa0 R14: 00007f5fe8975fa0 R15: 000000
---truncated---

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21706?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21706?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-21706 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21706 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-21706 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21706 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21706 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21706/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21706/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21706
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21706
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21706

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21706/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.