# CVE-2025-21999: proc: fix UAF in proc_get_inode()

> A race condition in the Linux kernel's proc filesystem allows a use-after-free, potentially enabling local attackers to execute code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 3 Apr 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-59604, AZL-59651, BELL-CVE-2025-21999, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-21999, GHSA-vmv5-h8c6-426p, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-21999, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21999

## What is CVE-2025-21999?

CVE-2025-21999 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 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:

proc: fix UAF in proc_get_inode()

Fix race between rmmod and /proc/XXX's inode instantiation.

The bug is that pde->proc_ops don't belong to /proc, it belongs to a
module, therefore dereferencing it after /proc entry has been registered
is a bug unless use_pde/unuse_pde() pair has been used.

use_pde/unuse_pde can be avoided (2 atomic ops!) because pde->proc_ops
never changes so information necessary for inode instantiation can be
saved _before_ proc_register() in PDE itself and used later, avoiding
pde->proc_ops->...  dereference.

      rmmod                         lookup
sys_delete_module
                         proc_lookup_de
			   pde_get(de);
			   proc_get_inode(dir->i_sb, de);
  mod->exit()
    proc_remove
      remove_proc_subtree
       proc_entry_rundown(de);
  free_module(mod);

                               if (S_ISREG(inode->i_mode))
	                         if (de->proc_ops->proc_read_iter)
                           --> As module is already freed, will trigger UAF

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: fffffbfff80a702b
PGD 817fc4067 P4D 817fc4067 PUD 817fc0067 PMD 102ef4067 PTE 0
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP KASAN PTI
CPU: 26 UID: 0 PID: 2667 Comm: ls Tainted: G
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996)
RIP: 0010:proc_get_inode+0x302/0x6e0
RSP: 0018:ffff88811c837998 EFLAGS: 00010a06
RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: ffffffffc0538140 RCX: 0000000000000007
RDX: 1ffffffff80a702b RSI: 0000000000000001 RDI: ffffffffc0538158
RBP: ffff8881299a6000 R08: 0000000067bbe1e5 R09: 1ffff11023906f20
R10: ffffffffb560ca07 R11: ffffffffb2b43a58 R12: ffff888105bb78f0
R13: ffff888100518048 R14: ffff8881299a6004 R15: 0000000000000001
FS:  00007f95b9686840(0000) GS:ffff8883af100000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: fffffbfff80a702b CR3: 0000000117dd2000 CR4: 00000000000006f0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 proc_lookup_de+0x11f/0x2e0
 __lookup_slow+0x188/0x350
 walk_component+0x2ab/0x4f0
 path_lookupat+0x120/0x660
 filename_lookup+0x1ce/0x560
 vfs_statx+0xac/0x150
 __do_sys_newstat+0x96/0x110
 do_syscall_64+0x5f/0x170
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e

[adobriyan@gmail.com: don't do 2 atomic ops on the common path]

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-21999?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-21999?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-21999 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-21999 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-2025-21999 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-21999 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 3 Apr 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-2025-21999 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-2025-21999/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21999/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-21999
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21999
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-21999

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-21999/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.