CVE intelligence and bounded remediation

CVE-2025-21879 — Linux Linux Kernel security vulnerability

High CVSS 7.8

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: fix use-after-free on inode when scanning root during em shrinking At btrfs_scan_root() we are accessing the inode's root (and fs_info) in a call to btrfs_fs_closing() after we have scheduled the inode for a delayed iput, and that can result in a use-after-free on the inode in case the cleaner kthread does the iput before we dereference the inode in the call to btrfs_fs_closing(). Fix this by using the fs_info stored already in a local variable instead of doing inode->root->fs_info.

Severity
High
CVSS
7.8 (3.1)
Published
2025-03-27
CISA KEV
Not currently listed
Ecosystem
linux/kernel
Weaknesses
CWE-416

Affected products

  • linux / linux_kernel
  • linux / linux_kernel / 6.14

Showing 2 representative product identities from 5 source matches. Confirm exact affected versions with the linked vendor and NVD evidence.

Matched remediation archetype

Use-after-free, double free, and expired resource use

This catalog composition supplies bounded fallback guidance. Explicitly reviewed curated workflows load with the complete record below.

Check exposure

  • Trace ownership, references, callbacks, asynchronous tasks, and teardown paths around the affected object or resource.
  • Identify reachable inputs and timing or state transitions that can release the object while references remain.
  • Confirm affected builds, allocators, feature flags, architectures, and process privileges.

Remediate safely

  • Apply the maintained ownership or lifetime fix and rebuild all artifacts containing the affected native code.
  • Use explicit ownership, safe reference management, cancellation and join semantics, and idempotent teardown.
  • Add deterministic lifetime tests plus isolated sanitizer and concurrency coverage for shutdown and error paths.

Authoritative sources

Complete CVE record and remediation plan

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