CVE-2025-21895
perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list
Published Apr 1, 2025
CVSS 3.1 · 4.7 Medium
EPSS < 1%
KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list
Syskaller triggers a warning due to prev_epc->pmu != next_epc->pmu in
perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data(). vmcore shows that two lists have the same
perf_event_pmu_context, but not in the same order.
The problem is that the order of pmu_ctx_list for the parent is impacted by
the time when an event/PMU is added. While the order for a child is
impacted by the event order in the pinned_groups and flexible_groups. So
the order of pmu_ctx_list in the parent and child may be different.
To fix this problem, insert the perf_event_pmu_context to its proper place
after iteration of the pmu_ctx_list.
The follow testcase can trigger above warning:
# perf record -e cycles --call-graph lbr -- taskset -c 3 ./a.out &
# perf stat -e cpu-clock,cs -p xxx // xxx is the pid of a.out
test.c
void main() {
int count = 0;
pid_t pid;
printf("%d running\n", getpid());
sleep(30);
printf("running\n");
pid = fork();
if (pid == -1) {
printf("fork error\n");
return;
}
if (pid == 0) {
while (1) {
count++;
}
} else {
while (1) {
count++;
}
}
}
The testcase first opens an LBR event, so it will allocate task_ctx_data,
and then open tracepoint and software events, so the parent context will
have 3 different perf_event_pmu_contexts. On inheritance, child ctx will
insert the perf_event_pmu_context in another order and the warning will
trigger.
[ mingo: Tidied up the changelog. ]
perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list
Syskaller triggers a warning due to prev_epc->pmu != next_epc->pmu in
perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data(). vmcore shows that two lists have the same
perf_event_pmu_context, but not in the same order.
The problem is that the order of pmu_ctx_list for the parent is impacted by
the time when an event/PMU is added. While the order for a child is
impacted by the event order in the pinned_groups and flexible_groups. So
the order of pmu_ctx_list in the parent and child may be different.
To fix this problem, insert the perf_event_pmu_context to its proper place
after iteration of the pmu_ctx_list.
The follow testcase can trigger above warning:
# perf record -e cycles --call-graph lbr -- taskset -c 3 ./a.out &
# perf stat -e cpu-clock,cs -p xxx // xxx is the pid of a.out
test.c
void main() {
int count = 0;
pid_t pid;
printf("%d running\n", getpid());
sleep(30);
printf("running\n");
pid = fork();
if (pid == -1) {
printf("fork error\n");
return;
}
if (pid == 0) {
while (1) {
count++;
}
} else {
while (1) {
count++;
}
}
}
The testcase first opens an LBR event, so it will allocate task_ctx_data,
and then open tracepoint and software events, so the parent context will
have 3 different perf_event_pmu_contexts. On inheritance, child ctx will
insert the perf_event_pmu_context in another order and the warning will
trigger.
[ mingo: Tidied up the changelog. ]
Affected Products
-
CVE record
-
NVD configurations
-
Red Hat packages
No data
-
OpenCVE enrichment
No data
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
Configuration 1 [-]
|
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
Tracking
Advisories
| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
 EUVD |
EUVD-2025-9426 | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list Syskaller triggers a warning due to prev_epc->pmu != next_epc->pmu in perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data(). vmcore shows that two lists have the same perf_event_pmu_context, but not in the same order. The problem is that the order of pmu_ctx_list for the parent is impacted by the time when an event/PMU is added. While the order for a child is impacted by the event order in the pinned_groups and flexible_groups. So the order of pmu_ctx_list in the parent and child may be different. To fix this problem, insert the perf_event_pmu_context to its proper place after iteration of the pmu_ctx_list. The follow testcase can trigger above warning: # perf record -e cycles --call-graph lbr -- taskset -c 3 ./a.out & # perf stat -e cpu-clock,cs -p xxx // xxx is the pid of a.out test.c void main() { int count = 0; pid_t pid; printf("%d running\n", getpid()); sleep(30); printf("running\n"); pid = fork(); if (pid == -1) { printf("fork error\n"); return; } if (pid == 0) { while (1) { count++; } } else { while (1) { count++; } } } The testcase first opens an LBR event, so it will allocate task_ctx_data, and then open tracepoint and software events, so the parent context will have 3 different perf_event_pmu_contexts. On inheritance, child ctx will insert the perf_event_pmu_context in another order and the warning will trigger. [ mingo: Tidied up the changelog. ] |
 Ubuntu USN |
USN-7521-1 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7521-2 | Linux kernel (AWS) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7521-3 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7764-1 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7764-2 | Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7765-1 | Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7766-1 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7767-1 | Linux kernel (Real-time) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7767-2 | Linux kernel (Real-time) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7779-1 | Linux kernel (IBM) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7790-1 | Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7800-1 | Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi Real-time) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7801-1 | Linux kernel (HWE) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7802-1 | Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7801-2 | Linux kernel (Oracle) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7809-1 | Linux kernel (Azure, N-Series) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-7801-3 | Linux kernel (Oracle) vulnerabilities |
Metrics
No CVSS v4.0
Attack Vector Local
Attack Complexity High
Privileges Required Low
Scope Unchanged
Confidentiality Impact None
Integrity Impact None
Availability Impact High
User Interaction None
No CVSS v3.0
No CVSS v2
This CVE is not in the KEV list.
Exploit prediction score: < 1% (0.152% probability within 30 days)
Exploitation none
Automatable no
Technical Impact partial
References
History
Nov 6, 2026 7:30 PM
Scoring metrics updated
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Metrics |
ssvc
|
Oct 31, 2025 7:00 PM
First appearance in the feed. Affected versions updated. Affected vendors updated. Scoring metrics updated
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.14:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
cvssV3_1
|
May 23, 2025 2:45 AM
Weaknesses updated. Scoring metrics updated
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-362 | |
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
cvssV3_1
|
Apr 2, 2025 2:00 PM
Added references. Scoring metrics updated
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
threat_severity
|
cvssV3_1
|
Apr 1, 2025 3:45 PM
Description updated. Title updated. Added references
View changes
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list Syskaller triggers a warning due to prev_epc->pmu != next_epc->pmu in perf_event_swap_task_ctx_data(). vmcore shows that two lists have the same perf_event_pmu_context, but not in the same order. The problem is that the order of pmu_ctx_list for the parent is impacted by the time when an event/PMU is added. While the order for a child is impacted by the event order in the pinned_groups and flexible_groups. So the order of pmu_ctx_list in the parent and child may be different. To fix this problem, insert the perf_event_pmu_context to its proper place after iteration of the pmu_ctx_list. The follow testcase can trigger above warning: # perf record -e cycles --call-graph lbr -- taskset -c 3 ./a.out & # perf stat -e cpu-clock,cs -p xxx // xxx is the pid of a.out test.c void main() { int count = 0; pid_t pid; printf("%d running\n", getpid()); sleep(30); printf("running\n"); pid = fork(); if (pid == -1) { printf("fork error\n"); return; } if (pid == 0) { while (1) { count++; } } else { while (1) { count++; } } } The testcase first opens an LBR event, so it will allocate task_ctx_data, and then open tracepoint and software events, so the parent context will have 3 different perf_event_pmu_contexts. On inheritance, child ctx will insert the perf_event_pmu_context in another order and the warning will trigger. [ mingo: Tidied up the changelog. ] | |
| Title | perf/core: Order the PMU list to fix warning about unordered pmu_ctx_list | |
| References |
|
Subscriptions
Weaknesses
