CVE-2025-21914 slimbus: messaging: Free transaction ID in delayed interrupt scenario
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's SLIMbus driver allows attackers to cause a system crash via invalid memory access during delayed interrupts.
- 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
What is CVE-2025-21914?
CVE-2025-21914 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 1 Apr 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:
slimbus: messaging: Free transaction ID in delayed interrupt scenario
In case of interrupt delay for any reason, slim_do_transfer() returns timeout error but the transaction ID (TID) is not freed. This results into invalid memory access inside qcom_slim_ngd_rx_msgq_cb() due to invalid TID.
Fix the issue by freeing the TID in slim_do_transfer() before returning timeout error to avoid invalid memory access.
Call trace: __memcpy_fromio+0x20/0x190 qcom_slim_ngd_rx_msgq_cb+0x130/0x290 [slim_qcom_ngd_ctrl] vchan_complete+0x2a0/0x4a0 tasklet_action_common+0x274/0x700 tasklet_action+0x28/0x3c _stext+0x188/0x620 run_ksoftirqd+0x34/0x74 smpboot_thread_fn+0x1d8/0x464 kthread+0x178/0x238 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Code: aa0003e8 91000429 f100044a 3940002b (3800150b) ---[ end trace 0fe00bec2b975c99 ]--- Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops: Fatal exception in interrupt.
Weakness: CWE-787
Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21914?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2025-21914?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2025-21914 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21914 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-21914, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21914, GHSA-hr95-mwx9-67j6, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21914, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21914.