CVE-2025-21919
HIGHCVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/fair: Fix potential memory corruption in child_cfs_rq_on_list child_cfs_rq_on_list attempts to convert a 'prev' pointer to a cfs_rq. This 'prev' pointer can originate from struct rq's leaf_cfs_rq_list, making the conversion invalid and potentially leading to memory corruption. Depending on the relative positions of leaf_cfs_rq_list and the task group (tg) pointer within the struct, this can cause a memory fault or access garbage data. The issue arises in list_add_leaf_cfs_rq, where both cfs_rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list and rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list are added to the same leaf list. Also, rq->tmp_alone_branch can be set to rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list. This adds a check `if (prev == &rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list)` after the main conditional in child_cfs_rq_on_list. This ensures that the container_of operation will convert a correct cfs_rq struct. This check is sufficient because only cfs_rqs on the same CPU are added to the list, so verifying the 'prev' pointer against the current rq's list head is enough. Fixes a potential memory corruption issue that due to current struct layout might not be manifesting as a crash but could lead to unpredictable behavior when the layout changes.
Analysis
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/fair: Fix potential memory corruption in child_cfs_rq_on_list child_cfs_rq_on_list attempts to convert a 'prev' pointer to a. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability could allow attackers to write data beyond allocated buffer boundaries leading to code execution or crashes.
Technical Context
This vulnerability is classified as Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787), which allows attackers to write data beyond allocated buffer boundaries leading to code execution or crashes. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched/fair: Fix potential memory corruption in child_cfs_rq_on_list child_cfs_rq_on_list attempts to convert a 'prev' pointer to a cfs_rq. This 'prev' pointer can originate from struct rq's leaf_cfs_rq_list, making the conversion invalid and potentially leading to memory corruption. Depending on the relative positions of leaf_cfs_rq_list and the task group (tg) pointer within the struct, this can cause a memory fault or access garbage data. The issue arises in list_add_leaf_cfs_rq, where both cfs_rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list and rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list are added to the same leaf list. Also, rq->tmp_alone_branch can be set to rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list. This adds a check `if (prev == &rq->leaf_cfs_rq_list)` after the main conditional in child_cfs_rq_on_list. This ensures that the container_of operation will convert a correct cfs_rq struct. This check is sufficient because only cfs_rqs on the same CPU are added to the list, so verifying the 'prev' pointer against the current rq's list head is enough. Fixes a potential memory corruption issue that due to current struct layout might not be manifesting as a crash but could lead to unpredictable behavior when the layout changes. Affected products include: Linux Linux Kernel.
Affected Products
Linux Linux Kernel.
Remediation
A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Validate write boundaries, use memory-safe languages, enable compiler protections (ASLR, stack canaries).
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