# CVE-2025-21720: xfrm: delete intermediate secpath entry in packet offload mode
> A null pointer dereference in the Linux kernel XFRM subsystem causes a kernel panic when IP forwarding is enabled with hardware offload.
- **Severity:** High 7.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 27 Feb 2025
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-21720, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21720, GHSA-vcp2-pcm5-4hq8, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21720, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21720
## What is CVE-2025-21720?
CVE-2025-21720 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
### Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
xfrm: delete intermediate secpath entry in packet offload mode
Packets handled by hardware have added secpath as a way to inform XFRM
core code that this path was already handled. That secpath is not needed
at all after policy is checked and it is removed later in the stack.
However, in the case of IP forwarding is enabled (/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward),
that secpath is not removed and packets which already were handled are reentered
to the driver TX path with xfrm_offload set.
The following kernel panic is observed in mlx5 in such case:
mlx5_core 0000:04:00.0 enp4s0f0np0: Link up
mlx5_core 0000:04:00.1 enp4s0f1np1: Link up
Initializing XFRM netlink socket
IPsec XFRM device driver
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
#PF: supervisor instruction fetch in kernel mode
#PF: error_code(0x0010) - not-present page
PGD 0 P4D 0
Oops: Oops: 0010 [#1] PREEMPT SMP
CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 6.13.0-rc1-alex #3
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.13.0-1ubuntu1.1 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:0x0
Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at 0xffffffffffffffd6.
RSP: 0018:ffffb87380003800 EFLAGS: 00010206
RAX: ffff8df004e02600 RBX: ffffb873800038d8 RCX: 00000000ffff98cf
RDX: ffff8df00733e108 RSI: ffff8df00521fb80 RDI: ffff8df001661f00
RBP: ffffb87380003850 R08: ffff8df013980000 R09: 0000000000000010
R10: 0000000000000002 R11: 0000000000000002 R12: ffff8df001661f00
R13: ffff8df00521fb80 R14: ffff8df00733e108 R15: ffff8df011faf04e
FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8df46b800000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: ffffffffffffffd6 CR3: 0000000106384000 CR4: 0000000000350ef0
Call Trace:
? show_regs+0x63/0x70
? __die_body+0x20/0x60
? __die+0x2b/0x40
? page_fault_oops+0x15c/0x550
? do_user_addr_fault+0x3ed/0x870
? exc_page_fault+0x7f/0x190
? asm_exc_page_fault+0x27/0x30
mlx5e_ipsec_handle_tx_skb+0xe7/0x2f0 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_xmit+0x58e/0x1980 [mlx5_core]
? __fib_lookup+0x6a/0xb0
dev_hard_start_xmit+0x82/0x1d0
sch_direct_xmit+0xfe/0x390
__dev_queue_xmit+0x6d8/0xee0
? __fib_lookup+0x6a/0xb0
? internal_add_timer+0x48/0x70
? mod_timer+0xe2/0x2b0
neigh_resolve_output+0x115/0x1b0
__neigh_update+0x26a/0xc50
neigh_update+0x14/0x20
arp_process+0x2cb/0x8e0
? __napi_build_skb+0x5e/0x70
arp_rcv+0x11e/0x1c0
? dev_gro_receive+0x574/0x820
__netif_receive_skb_list_core+0x1cf/0x1f0
netif_receive_skb_list_internal+0x183/0x2a0
napi_complete_done+0x76/0x1c0
mlx5e_napi_poll+0x234/0x7a0 [mlx5_core]
__napi_poll+0x2d/0x1f0
net_rx_action+0x1a6/0x370
? atomic_notifier_call_chain+0x3b/0x50
? irq_int_handler+0x15/0x20 [mlx5_core]
handle_softirqs+0xb9/0x2f0
? handle_irq_event+0x44/0x60
irq_exit_rcu+0xdb/0x100
common_interrupt+0x98/0xc0
asm_common_interrupt+0x27/0x40
RIP: 0010:pv_native_safe_halt+0xb/0x10
Code: 09 c3 66 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 66 90 0f 22
0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 90 eb 07 0f 00 2d 7f e9 36 00 fb
40 00 83 ff 07 77 21 89 ff ff 24 fd 88 3d a1 bd 0f 21 f8
RSP: 0018:ffffffffbe603de8 EFLAGS: 00000202
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000f92f46680
RDX: 0000000000000037 RSI: 00000000ffffffff RDI: 00000000000518d4
RBP: ffffffffbe603df0 R08: 000000cd42e4dffb R09: ffffffffbe603d70
R10: 0000004d80d62680 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: ffffffffbe60bf40
R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffffffffbe60aff8
? default_idle+0x9/0x20
arch_cpu_idle+0x9/0x10
default_idle_call+0x29/0xf0
do_idle+0x1f2/0x240
cpu_startup_entry+0x2c/0x30
rest_init+0xe7/0x100
start_kernel+0x76b/0xb90
x86_64_start_reservations+0x18/0x30
x86_64_start_kernel+0xc0/0x110
? setup_ghcb+0xe/0x130
common_startup_64+0x13e/0x141
Modules linked in: esp4_offload esp4 xfrm_interface
xfrm6_tunnel tunnel4 tunnel6 xfrm_user xfrm_algo binf
---truncated---
Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)
## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21720?
It affects 1 product.
Products: Linux kernel.
## How do I fix CVE-2025-21720?
Apply the vendor's patch.
## Is CVE-2025-21720 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21720 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-2025-21720 and fix it if it is affected.
What it is: CVE-2025-21720 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Feb 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21720 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-2025-21720/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21720/index.md)
```
## Sources
- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21720
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21720
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21720
---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21720/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.