CVE-2025-21672

afs: Fix merge preference rule failure condition

Published Jan 31, 2025 CVSS 3.1 · 5.5 Medium EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

afs: Fix merge preference rule failure condition

syzbot reported a lock held when returning to userspace[1]. This is
because if argc is less than 0 and the function returns directly, the held
inode lock is not released.

Fix this by store the error in ret and jump to done to clean up instead of
returning directly.

[dh: Modified Lizhi Xu's original patch to make it honour the error code
from afs_split_string()]

[1]
WARNING: lock held when returning to user space!
6.13.0-rc3-syzkaller-00209-g499551201b5f #0 Not tainted
------------------------------------------------
syz-executor133/5823 is leaving the kernel with locks still held!
1 lock held by syz-executor133/5823:
#0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: inode_lock include/linux/fs.h:818 [inline]
#0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: afs_proc_addr_prefs_write+0x2bb/0x14e0 fs/afs/addr_prefs.c:388

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
EUVD EUVD EUVD-2025-2621 In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: afs: Fix merge preference rule failure condition syzbot reported a lock held when returning to userspace[1]. This is because if argc is less than 0 and the function returns directly, the held inode lock is not released. Fix this by store the error in ret and jump to done to clean up instead of returning directly. [dh: Modified Lizhi Xu's original patch to make it honour the error code from afs_split_string()] [1] WARNING: lock held when returning to user space! 6.13.0-rc3-syzkaller-00209-g499551201b5f #0 Not tainted ------------------------------------------------ syz-executor133/5823 is leaving the kernel with locks still held! 1 lock held by syz-executor133/5823: #0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: inode_lock include/linux/fs.h:818 [inline] #0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: afs_proc_addr_prefs_write+0x2bb/0x14e0 fs/afs/addr_prefs.c:388
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7445-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7448-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7595-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7595-2 Linux kernel (Real-time) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7595-3 Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi Real-time) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7595-4 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7595-5 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7596-1 Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7596-2 Linux kernel (Azure, N-Series) vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7653-1 Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics epss

{'score': 0.0002}

epss

{'score': 0.00016}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics epss

{'score': 0.00016}

epss

{'score': 0.0002}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Weaknesses CWE-667
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.13:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Type Values Removed Values Added
References
Metrics threat_severity

None

cvssV3_1

{'score': 5.5, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H'}

threat_severity

Moderate

Type Values Removed Values Added
Description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: afs: Fix merge preference rule failure condition syzbot reported a lock held when returning to userspace[1]. This is because if argc is less than 0 and the function returns directly, the held inode lock is not released. Fix this by store the error in ret and jump to done to clean up instead of returning directly. [dh: Modified Lizhi Xu's original patch to make it honour the error code from afs_split_string()] [1] WARNING: lock held when returning to user space! 6.13.0-rc3-syzkaller-00209-g499551201b5f #0 Not tainted ------------------------------------------------ syz-executor133/5823 is leaving the kernel with locks still held! 1 lock held by syz-executor133/5823: #0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: inode_lock include/linux/fs.h:818 [inline] #0: ffff888071cffc00 (&sb->s_type->i_mutex_key#9){++++}-{4:4}, at: afs_proc_addr_prefs_write+0x2bb/0x14e0 fs/afs/addr_prefs.c:388
Title afs: Fix merge preference rule failure condition
References
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
May 11, 2026, 9:04 PM
Reserved
Dec 29, 2024, 8:45 AM
Status
Modified
Published
Jan 31, 2025, 12:15 PM
Modified
Jun 17, 2026, 8:43 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Jan 31, 2025, 12:00 AM