Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:HCVSS and EPSS are reproduced from their sources (NVD, FIRST EPSS). Risk Priority is our own derived reading, not an NVD score.
Summary
CVE-2025-21741 is a high-severity Out-of-bounds Read (CWE-125) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 7.1 (High).
Operationally, exploitation aligns with the MITRE ATT&CK technique Exploitation for Privilege Escalation (T1068); ranked at the 12th percentile by exploit likelihood (below the median); it is not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
The strongest mitigations our analysis identified map to SA-11 (Developer Testing and Evaluation) and SA-8 (Security and Privacy Engineering Principles) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
Deeper analysis AI-assisted summary
Synthesised by an AI model from the NVD description and linked references — a reading aid, not an authoritative source.
CVE-2025-21741 is an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in the ipheth driver within the usbnet subsystem of the Linux kernel. The issue arises from processing an excessive number of DPEs (Device Private Endpoints) beyond the fixed-size NDP16 header, leading to an out-of-bounds memory read classified under CWE-125. It affects Linux kernel versions prior to the application of the relevant stable patches and carries a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H).
A local attacker with low privileges can exploit this vulnerability by interacting with an affected ipheth USB device, such as through crafted USB traffic emulating an iPhone Ethernet adapter. Successful exploitation enables high-impact confidentiality violations, potentially leaking sensitive kernel memory, and high-impact availability disruptions, such as kernel crashes or denial of service.
Mitigation involves updating to Linux kernel versions incorporating the upstream fixes, as detailed in the stable commit references: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/22475242ddb70e35c9148234be9a3aa9fb8efff9, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5835bf66c50ac2b85ed28b282c2456c3516ef0a6, https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/971b8c572559e52d32a2b82f2d9e0685439a0117, and https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ee591f2b281721171896117f9946fced31441418. These patches limit the number of processed DPEs to the NDP16 header capacity, preventing the out-of-bounds access.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-5181
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: usbnet: ipheth: fix DPE OoB read Fix an out-of-bounds DPE read, limit the number of processed DPEs to the amount that fits into the fixed-size NDP16 header.
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise Techniques
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Developer testing and evaluation directly finds out-of-bounds read flaws through static analysis, fuzzing, and dynamic bounds checks.
Secure engineering principles require bounds checking and memory-safe constructs that stop out-of-bounds reads from being introduced.
Process isolation confines the effects of an out-of-bounds read to the compromised process.
Input validation rejects malformed indices or lengths that would otherwise cause reads outside buffer bounds.
Mitigating Controls (NIST CSF 2.0) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→CSF cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Secure-development practices such as bounds checking and memory-safe languages directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Vulnerability scanning and recording can discover instances of out-of-bounds reads after code is deployed.
Routine patching replaces vulnerable code containing out-of-bounds read flaws.
Mitigating Controls (ISO/IEC 27001:2022 Annex A) AI
Derived directly from the weakness types (CWEs) cited in the NVD entry via our AI-authored CWE→ISO cross-walk (authority under review) — links open the control.
Security testing in development and acceptance includes fuzzing and static analysis that detect out-of-bounds read defects before release.
Logging can record evidence of an out-of-bounds read but does not prevent the weakness itself.
Secure development life cycle mandates input validation and bounds checking that directly prevent out-of-bounds reads.
Application security requirements include explicit bounds and memory-safety specifications that mitigate buffer over-reads.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles require memory-safe design patterns and runtime protections against out-of-bounds access.
Secure coding standards explicitly forbid unsafe pointer arithmetic and mandate bounds-checked reads, eliminating CWE-125.