CVE-2025-21973

HIGH
Published Apr 1, 2025 Modified Jan 22, 2026

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eth: bnxt: fix kernel panic in the bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx} When qstats-get operation is executed, callbacks of netdev_stats_ops are called. The bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx} collect per-queue stats from sw_stats in the rings. But {rx | tx | cp}_ring are allocated when the interface is up. So, these rings are not allocated when the interface is down. The qstats-get is allowed even if the interface is down. However, the bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx}() accesses cp_ring and tx_ring without null check. So, it needs to avoid accessing rings if the interface is down. Reproducer: ip link set $interface down ./cli.py --spec netdev.yaml --dump qstats-get OR ip link set $interface down python ./stats.py Splat looks like: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 1680fa067 P4D 1680fa067 PUD 16be3b067 PMD 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 1495 Comm: python3 Not tainted 6.14.0-rc4+ #32 5cd0f999d5a15c574ac72b3e4b907341 Hardware name: ASUS System Product Name/PRIME Z690-P D4, BIOS 0603 11/01/2021 RIP: 0010:bnxt_get_queue_stats_rx+0xf/0x70 [bnxt_en] Code: c6 87 b5 18 00 00 02 eb a2 66 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 0f 1f 44 01 RSP: 0018:ffffabef43cdb7e0 EFLAGS: 00010282 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffffffc04c8710 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: ffffabef43cdb858 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff8d504e850000 RBP: ffff8d506c9f9c00 R08: 0000000000000004 R09: ffff8d506bcd901c R10: 0000000000000015 R11: ffff8d506bcd9000 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: ffffabef43cdb8c0 R14: ffff8d504e850000 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007f2c5462b080(0000) GS:ffff8d575f600000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 0000000167fd0000 CR4: 00000000007506f0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x20/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15a/0x460 ? sched_balance_find_src_group+0x58d/0xd10 ? exc_page_fault+0x6e/0x180 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 ? bnxt_get_queue_stats_rx+0xf/0x70 [bnxt_en cdd546fd48563c280cfd30e9647efa420db07bf1] netdev_nl_stats_by_netdev+0x2b1/0x4e0 ? xas_load+0x9/0xb0 ? xas_find+0x183/0x1d0 ? xa_find+0x8b/0xe0 netdev_nl_qstats_get_dumpit+0xbf/0x1e0 genl_dumpit+0x31/0x90 netlink_dump+0x1a8/0x360

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CVSS v3.1 Score

7.1
HIGH
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21973? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: eth: bnxt: fix kernel panic in the bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx} When qstats-get operation is executed, callbacks of netdev_stats_ops are called. The bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx} collect per-queue stats from sw_stats in the rings. But {rx | tx | cp}_ring are allocated when the interface is up. So, these rings are not allocated when the interface is down. The qstats-get is allowed even if the interface is down. However, the bnxt_get_queue_stats{rx | tx}() accesses cp_ring and tx_ring without null check. So, it needs to avoid accessing rings if the interface is down. Reproducer: ip link set $interface down ./cli.py --spec netdev.yaml --dump qstats-get OR ip link set $interface down python ./stats.py Splat looks like: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 1680fa067 P4D 1680fa067 PUD 16be3b067 PMD 0 Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 1495 Comm: python3 Not tainted 6.14.0-rc4+ #32 5cd0f999d5a15c574ac72b3e4b907341 Hardware name: ASUS System Product Name/PRIME Z690-P D4, BIOS 0603 11/01/2021 RIP: 0010:bnxt_get_queue_stats_rx+0xf/0x70 [bnxt_en] Code: c6 87 b5 18 00 00 02 eb a2 66 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 90 0f 1f 44 01 RSP: 0018:ffffabef43cdb7e0 EFLAGS: 00010282 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffffffc04c8710 RCX: 0000000000000000 RDX: ffffabef43cdb858 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff8d504e850000 RBP: ffff8d506c9f9c00 R08: 0000000000000004 R09: ffff8d506bcd901c R10: 0000000000000015 R11: ffff8d506bcd9000 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: ffffabef43cdb8c0 R14: ffff8d504e850000 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007f2c5462b080(0000) GS:ffff8d575f600000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 0000000000000000 CR3: 0000000167fd0000 CR4: 00000000007506f0 PKRU: 55555554 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x20/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15a/0x460 ? sched_balance_find_src_group+0x58d/0xd10 ? exc_page_fault+0x6e/0x180 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 ? bnxt_get_queue_stats_rx+0xf/0x70 [bnxt_en cdd546fd48563c280cfd30e9647efa420db07bf1] netdev_nl_stats_by_netdev+0x2b1/0x4e0 ? xas_load+0x9/0xb0 ? xas_find+0x183/0x1d0 ? xa_find+0x8b/0xe0 netdev_nl_qstats_get_dumpit+0xbf/0x1e0 genl_dumpit+0x31/0x90 netlink_dump+0x1a8/0x360 It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH).
How severe is CVE-2025-21973? +
CVE-2025-21973 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-21973? +
CVE-2025-21973 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-21973? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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