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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-21921: Linux kernel · NULL Pointer Dereference

Source GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 29 Oct 2026, 23:32 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.5Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 1 Apr 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 29 Oct 2026.

What to do

AI-suggested

Until a fix is available, avoid triggering the PLCA command via ethtool netlink notifications or restrict access to ethtool netlink interfaces to trusted users.

Description

CVE-2025-21921 is a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ethtool netlink interface. It involves a NULL pointer dereference when handling phy_device lookups during certain netlink notifications, specifically related to the PLCA command. This can cause a kernel crash (denial of service).

References

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