CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2025-21897

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sched_ext: Fix pick_task_scx() picking non-queued tasks when it's called without balance() a6250aa251ea ("sched_ext: Handle cases where pick_task_scx() is called without preceding balance_scx()") added a workaround to handle the cases where pick_task_scx() is called without prececing balance_scx() which is due to a fair class bug where pick_taks_fair() may return NULL after a true return from balance_fair(). The workaround detects when pick_task_scx() is called without preceding balance_scx() and emulates SCX_RQ_BAL_KEEP and triggers kicking to avoid stalling. Unfortunately, the workaround code was testing whether @prev was on SCX to decide whether to keep the task running. This is incorrect as the task may be on SCX but no longer runnable. This could lead to a non-runnable task to be returned from pick_task_scx() which cause interesting confusions and failures. e.g. A common failure mode is the task ending up with (!on_rq && on_cpu) state which can cause potential wakers to busy loop, which can easily lead to deadlocks. Fix it by testing whether @prev has SCX_TASK_QUEUED set. This makes @prev_on_scx only used in one place. Open code the usage and improve the comment while at it.

How to fix

Remediation Available
linuxDebian
Fixed in:6.12.19-1CVE-2025-21897
Fixed in:6.12.19-1CVE-2025-21897

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

0.14%probability of exploitation in 30 days
4thpercentile

Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 4% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-667 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2019-10072High7.573%-Fix
CVE-2002-1850High7.517%-Fix
CVE-2009-2699High7.514%-Fix
CVE-2004-0174High7.512%--
CVE-2009-4272High7.511%--
CVE-2020-24606High8.65.2%-Fix
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2025-10-31.