# CVE-2025-21796: nfsd: clear acl_access/acl_default after releasing them

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NFS server allows attackers to trigger a system crash or potential memory corruption via crafted requests.

- **Severity:** Critical 9.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-58907, AZL-58917, BELL-CVE-2025-21796, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21796, GHSA-hgrx-p3hg-cw72, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21796, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21796

## What is CVE-2025-21796?

CVE-2025-21796 is a critical use after free 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:

nfsd: clear acl_access/acl_default after releasing them

If getting acl_default fails, acl_access and acl_default will be released
simultaneously. However, acl_access will still retain a pointer pointing
to the released posix_acl, which will trigger a WARNING in
nfs3svc_release_getacl like this:

------------[ cut here ]------------
refcount_t: underflow; use-after-free.
WARNING: CPU: 26 PID: 3199 at lib/refcount.c:28
refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
Modules linked in:
CPU: 26 UID: 0 PID: 3199 Comm: nfsd Not tainted
6.12.0-rc6-00079-g04ae226af01f-dirty #8
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS
1.16.1-2.fc37 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
Code: cc cc 0f b6 1d b3 20 a5 03 80 fb 01 0f 87 65 48 d8 00 83 e3 01 75
e4 48 c7 c7 c0 3b 9b 85 c6 05 97 20 a5 03 01 e8 fb 3e 30 ff <0f> 0b eb
cd 0f b6 1d 8a3
RSP: 0018:ffffc90008637cd8 EFLAGS: 00010282
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffffffff83904fde
RDX: dffffc0000000000 RSI: 0000000000000008 RDI: ffff88871ed36380
RBP: ffff888158beeb40 R08: 0000000000000001 R09: fffff520010c6f56
R10: ffffc90008637ab7 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000000000001
R13: ffff888140e77400 R14: ffff888140e77408 R15: ffffffff858b42c0
FS:  0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff88871ed00000(0000)
knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 0000562384d32158 CR3: 000000055cc6a000 CR4: 00000000000006f0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
 ? __warn+0xa5/0x140
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
 ? report_bug+0x1b1/0x1e0
 ? handle_bug+0x53/0xa0
 ? exc_invalid_op+0x17/0x40
 ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x1a/0x20
 ? tick_nohz_tick_stopped+0x1e/0x40
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xb5/0x170
 nfs3svc_release_getacl+0xc9/0xe0
 svc_process_common+0x5db/0xb60
 ? __pfx_svc_process_common+0x10/0x10
 ? __rcu_read_unlock+0x69/0xa0
 ? __pfx_nfsd_dispatch+0x10/0x10
 ? svc_xprt_received+0xa1/0x120
 ? xdr_init_decode+0x11d/0x190
 svc_process+0x2a7/0x330
 svc_handle_xprt+0x69d/0x940
 svc_recv+0x180/0x2d0
 nfsd+0x168/0x200
 ? __pfx_nfsd+0x10/0x10
 kthread+0x1a2/0x1e0
 ? kthread+0xf4/0x1e0
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork+0x34/0x60
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
 </TASK>
Kernel panic - not syncing: kernel: panic_on_warn set ...

Clear acl_access/acl_default after posix_acl_release is called to prevent
UAF from being triggered.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21796?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21796?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-21796 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21796 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-2025-21796 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21796 is a critical use after free 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-2025-21796 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-2025-21796/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21796/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21796
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21796
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21796

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21796/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.