CVE-2025-21891
Linux Kernel 3.19 – 6.1.130
Raw vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HSummary
CVE-2025-21891 is a medium-severity Use of Uninitialized Resource (CWE-908) vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel. Its CVSS base score is 5.5 (Medium).
Operationally, ranked at the 8th 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 SI-16 (Memory Protection) and SI-2 (Flaw Remediation) — see the control section below for these in your framework.
EU & UK References
- 🇪🇺 ENISA EUVD: EUVD-2025-8476
Vulnerability Data
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipvlan: ensure network headers are in skb linear part syzbot found that ipvlan_process_v6_outbound() was assuming the IPv6 network header isis present in skb->head [1] Add the needed pskb_network_may_pull() calls for…
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both IPv4 and IPv6 handlers. [1] BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in __ipv6_addr_type+0xa2/0x490 net/ipv6/addrconf_core.c:47 __ipv6_addr_type+0xa2/0x490 net/ipv6/addrconf_core.c:47 ipv6_addr_type include/net/ipv6.h:555 [inline] ip6_route_output_flags_noref net/ipv6/route.c:2616 [inline] ip6_route_output_flags+0x51/0x720 net/ipv6/route.c:2651 ip6_route_output include/net/ip6_route.h:93 [inline] ipvlan_route_v6_outbound+0x24e/0x520 drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_core.c:476 ipvlan_process_v6_outbound drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_core.c:491 [inline] ipvlan_process_outbound drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_core.c:541 [inline] ipvlan_xmit_mode_l3 drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_core.c:605 [inline] ipvlan_queue_xmit+0xd72/0x1780 drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_core.c:671 ipvlan_start_xmit+0x5b/0x210 drivers/net/ipvlan/ipvlan_main.c:223 __netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:5150 [inline] netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:5159 [inline] xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3735 [inline] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x247/0xa20 net/core/dev.c:3751 sch_direct_xmit+0x399/0xd40 net/sched/sch_generic.c:343 qdisc_restart net/sched/sch_generic.c:408 [inline] __qdisc_run+0x14da/0x35d0 net/sched/sch_generic.c:416 qdisc_run+0x141/0x4d0 include/net/pkt_sched.h:127 net_tx_action+0x78b/0x940 net/core/dev.c:5484 handle_softirqs+0x1a0/0x7c0 kernel/softirq.c:561 __do_softirq+0x14/0x1a kernel/softirq.c:595 do_softirq+0x9a/0x100 kernel/softirq.c:462 __local_bh_enable_ip+0x9f/0xb0 kernel/softirq.c:389 local_bh_enable include/linux/bottom_half.h:33 [inline] rcu_read_unlock_bh include/linux/rcupdate.h:919 [inline] __dev_queue_xmit+0x2758/0x57d0 net/core/dev.c:4611 dev_queue_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:3311 [inline] packet_xmit+0x9c/0x6c0 net/packet/af_packet.c:276 packet_snd net/packet/af_packet.c:3132 [inline] packet_sendmsg+0x93e0/0xa7e0 net/packet/af_packet.c:3164 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:718 [inline]
- CWE(s)
Related Threats
CVEs Like This One
Affected Assets
Mitigating Controls
Control response
Mitigating Controls (NIST 800-53 r5) AI
Directly requires timely remediation of the ipvlan skb header flaw via kernel patching to eliminate the uninit-value condition.
Enforces memory protection mechanisms that would block or contain the uninitialized-value access in ipvlan_process_v6_outbound and related paths.
Requires validation of network header presence in skb buffers, matching the added pskb_network_may_pull checks for IPv4/IPv6.
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 SDLC activities such as static analysis and code review directly prevent use of uninitialized resources while also addressing many other weaknesses.
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 can detect uninitialized resource usage through dynamic analysis and fuzzing.
Secure development life cycle mandates initialization checks and static analysis that can catch uninitialized resource use.
Application security requirements can specify mandatory initialization of variables and resources before use.
Secure system architecture and engineering principles include defensive coding practices that prevent use of uninitialized memory or objects.
Secure coding standards directly require explicit initialization of all variables and resources, substantially mitigating CWE-908.