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UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21893 High

UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21893

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: Fix UAF in key_put() Once a key's reference count has been reduced to 0, the garbage collector thread may destroy it at any time and so key_put() is not allowed to touch the key after that point. The most key_put() is normally allowed to do is to touch key_gc_work as that's a static global variable. However, in an effort to speed up the reclamation of quota, this is now done in key_put() once the key's usage is reduced to 0 - but now the code is looking at the key after the deadline, which is forbidden. Fix this by using a flag to indicate that a key can be gc'd now rather than looking at the key's refcount in the garbage collector.

Exploit probability Not scored
Published March 31, 2025
Required by Not available
Last source change February 4, 2026

02 / AFFECTED SOFTWARE

Affected packages

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-gcp-6.11

5 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oem-5.6

29 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-riscv-6.5

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-starfive-6.5

11 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-realtime

1 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-gke-5.4

37 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-intel-5.13

7 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oem-5.10

26 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-gkeop-5.4

37 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-aws-5.19

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-aws-5.13

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-azure-6.2

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gkeop

78 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gkeop-5.15

45 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-riscv-5.19

8 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gcp-5.8

4 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-allwinner-5.19

8 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-oem-6.5

19 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-riscv

23 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-oracle-5.0

7 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-gke-4.15

33 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-hwe-5.13

16 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-oracle-6.5

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oracle-5.13

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-gcp

38 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gke

51 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-riscv-5.11

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-hwe-6.2

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-aws-5.3

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gcp-5.13

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-intel-iot-realtime

1 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-hwe-edge

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-riscv-5.8

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-raspi-realtime

1 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-gcp-5.19

8 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-hwe-6.5

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-hwe-5.8

21 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-raspi2

6 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-gcp-5.3

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-gcp-6.2

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-starfive-5.19

7 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-azure-6.5

14 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oracle-5.11

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-oem-5.17

26 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-azure-fde

26 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-realtime

1 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:16.04:LTS linux-hwe-edge

23 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-aws-6.5

14 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oracle-5.8

5 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-starfive-6.2

3 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-aws-5.11

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-azure

44 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-aws-5.8

4 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-azure-edge

4 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-oem-6.0

16 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-oracle-5.3

9 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-riscv

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-azure-5.11

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11

5 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-azure-5.8

7 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-azure-6.11

6 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-nvidia-6.11

5 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-gcp-6.5

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-nvidia-6.2

7 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-hwe-6.11

6 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-azure-fde-6.2

10 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-aws-6.2

14 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gke-5.15

18 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-azure-fde-5.19

3 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-azure-5.3

16 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-aws-5.0

6 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-hwe

43 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-hwe-5.19

11 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oem-5.14

35 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-oem-5.13

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5

13 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-gcp-5.11

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:24.04:LTS linux-oem-6.11

15 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:18.04:LTS linux-oem

50 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-nvidia-6.5

11 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-hwe-5.11

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-oem-6.1

27 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:20.04:LTS linux-azure-5.13

12 explicit affected versions

Ubuntu:22.04:LTS linux-azure-5.19

7 explicit affected versions

03 / CONNECTIONS

Connected vulnerabilities

04 / EVIDENCE

Source records

Open Source Vulnerabilities UBUNTU-CVE-2025-21893

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: Fix UAF in key_put() Once a key's reference count has been reduced to 0, the garbage collector thread may destroy it at any time and so key_put() is not allowed to touch the key after that point. The most key_put() is normally allowed to do is to touch key_gc_work as that's a static global variable. However, in an effort to speed up the reclamation of quota, this is now done in key_put() once the key's usage is reduced to 0 - but now the code is looking at the key after the deadline, which is forbidden. Fix this by using a flag to indicate that a key can be gc'd now rather than looking at the key's refcount in the garbage collector.

View original source

05 / REFERENCES

Further evidence