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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-21702: Linux kernel · pfifo_tail_enqueue: Drop new packet when sch->limit == 0

Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High.

Data as of 10 Nov 2026, 14:04 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
7.8High
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.

Thin evidence

One scorer or none
CVSS scores by source
CNA (Linux)CVSS 3.17.8
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 18 Feb 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 10 Nov 2026.

What to do

AI-suggested

Until a fix is available, avoid configuring pfifo_head_drop qdiscs with sch->limit set to zero in environments where untrusted users can enqueue packets. Monitor vendor communications for official patches.

Description

CVE-2025-21702 is a vulnerability in the Linux kernel's packet scheduler involving the pfifo_tail_enqueue function. When the scheduler's limit (sch->limit) is set to zero, the function incorrectly increments the queue length (qlen) without dropping a packet, violating the design where a parent's queue length should equal the sum of its children's queue lengths. This inconsistency can be exploited for user-to-kernel privilege escalation.

References

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