# CVE-2025-68815: net/sched: ets: Remove drr class from the active list if it changes to strict > A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ETS qdisc allows local attackers to trigger a double-add list corruption, leading to a system crash. - **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:** 13 Jan 2026 - **Updated:** 19 Oct 2026 - **Also known as:** AZL-74426, BELL-CVE-2025-68815, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-68815, GHSA-46xw-4v36-6pr8, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-68815, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-68815, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-68815, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-68815, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-68815, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-68815 ## What is CVE-2025-68815? CVE-2025-68815 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. 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: net/sched: ets: Remove drr class from the active list if it changes to strict Whenever a user issues an ets qdisc change command, transforming a drr class into a strict one, the ets code isn't checking whether that class was in the active list and removing it. This means that, if a user changes a strict class (which was in the active list) back to a drr one, that class will be added twice to the active list [1]. Doing so with the following commands: tc qdisc add dev lo root handle 1: ets bands 2 strict 1 tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:2 handle 20: \ tbf rate 8bit burst 100b latency 1s tc filter add dev lo parent 1: basic classid 1:2 ping -c1 -W0.01 -s 56 127.0.0.1 tc qdisc change dev lo root handle 1: ets bands 2 strict 2 tc qdisc change dev lo root handle 1: ets bands 2 strict 1 ping -c1 -W0.01 -s 56 127.0.0.1 Will trigger the following splat with list debug turned on: [ 59.279014][ T365] ------------[ cut here ]------------ [ 59.279452][ T365] list_add double add: new=ffff88801d60e350, prev=ffff88801d60e350, next=ffff88801d60e2c0. [ 59.280153][ T365] WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 365 at lib/list_debug.c:35 __list_add_valid_or_report+0x17f/0x220 [ 59.280860][ T365] Modules linked in: [ 59.281165][ T365] CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 365 Comm: tc Not tainted 6.18.0-rc7-00105-g7e9f13163c13-dirty #239 PREEMPT(voluntary) [ 59.281977][ T365] Hardware name: Bochs Bochs, BIOS Bochs 01/01/2011 [ 59.282391][ T365] RIP: 0010:__list_add_valid_or_report+0x17f/0x220 [ 59.282842][ T365] Code: 89 c6 e8 d4 b7 0d ff 90 0f 0b 90 90 31 c0 e9 31 ff ff ff 90 48 c7 c7 e0 a0 22 9f 48 89 f2 48 89 c1 4c 89 c6 e8 b2 b7 0d ff 90 <0f> 0b 90 90 31 c0 e9 0f ff ff ff 48 89 f7 48 89 44 24 10 4c 89 44 ... [ 59.288812][ T365] Call Trace: [ 59.289056][ T365] [ 59.289224][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.289546][ T365] ets_qdisc_change+0xd2b/0x1e80 [ 59.289891][ T365] ? __lock_acquire+0x7e7/0x1be0 [ 59.290223][ T365] ? __pfx_ets_qdisc_change+0x10/0x10 [ 59.290546][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.290898][ T365] ? __mutex_trylock_common+0xda/0x240 [ 59.291228][ T365] ? __pfx___mutex_trylock_common+0x10/0x10 [ 59.291655][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.291993][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.292313][ T365] ? trace_contention_end+0xc8/0x110 [ 59.292656][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.293022][ T365] ? srso_alias_return_thunk+0x5/0xfbef5 [ 59.293351][ T365] tc_modify_qdisc+0x63a/0x1cf0 Fix this by always checking and removing an ets class from the active list when changing it to strict. [1] https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/netdev/net.git/tree/net/sched/sch_ets.c?id=ce052b9402e461a9aded599f5b47e76bc727f7de#n663 Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-68815? ## How do I fix CVE-2025-68815? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2025-68815 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-68815 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2025-68815 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2025-68815 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, published on 13 Jan 2026. 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-2025-68815 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Linux. 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-2025-68815/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68815/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-68815 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-68815 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-68815 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-68815/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.