# CVE-2025-21767: clocksource: Use migrate_disable() to avoid calling get_random_u32() in atomic context

> A bug in the Linux kernel clocksource verification causes a crash in PREEMPT_RT kernels by calling sleeping functions in atomic context.

- **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-2025-21767, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21767, GHSA-h97w-34cr-4pxx, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21767, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21767

## What is CVE-2025-21767?

CVE-2025-21767 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:

clocksource: Use migrate_disable() to avoid calling get_random_u32() in atomic context

The following bug report happened with a PREEMPT_RT kernel:

  BUG: sleeping function called from invalid context at kernel/locking/spinlock_rt.c:48
  in_atomic(): 1, irqs_disabled(): 0, non_block: 0, pid: 2012, name: kwatchdog
  preempt_count: 1, expected: 0
  RCU nest depth: 0, expected: 0
  get_random_u32+0x4f/0x110
  clocksource_verify_choose_cpus+0xab/0x1a0
  clocksource_verify_percpu.part.0+0x6b/0x330
  clocksource_watchdog_kthread+0x193/0x1a0

It is due to the fact that clocksource_verify_choose_cpus() is invoked with
preemption disabled.  This function invokes get_random_u32() to obtain
random numbers for choosing CPUs.  The batched_entropy_32 local lock and/or
the base_crng.lock spinlock in driver/char/random.c will be acquired during
the call. In PREEMPT_RT kernel, they are both sleeping locks and so cannot
be acquired in atomic context.

Fix this problem by using migrate_disable() to allow smp_processor_id() to
be reliably used without introducing atomic context. preempt_disable() is
then called after clocksource_verify_choose_cpus() but before the
clocksource measurement is being run to avoid introducing unexpected
latency.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21767?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21767?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-21767 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21767 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-2025-21767 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21767 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-2025-21767 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-2025-21767/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21767/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21767
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21767
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21767

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21767/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.