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CVE-2025-21908

5.5 · MEDIUM

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: NFS: fix nfs_release_folio() to not deadlock via kcompactd writeback Add PF_KCOMPACTD flag and current_is_kcompactd() helper to…

Published Apr 1, 2025CWE-667EPSS 0.15%

Overview

CVE-2025-21908 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 1, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

NFS: fix nfs_release_folio() to not deadlock via kcompactd writeback

Add PF_KCOMPACTD flag and current_is_kcompactd() helper to check for it so

nfs_release_folio() can skip calling nfs_wb_folio() from kcompactd.

Otherwise NFS can deadlock waiting for kcompactd enduced writeback which

recurses back to NFS (which triggers writeback to NFSD via NFS loopback

mount on the same host, NFSD blocks waiting for XFS's call to

__filemap_get_folio):

6070.550357] INFO: task kcompactd0:58 blocked for more than 4435 seconds.

{---

[58] "kcompactd0"

[<0>] folio_wait_bit+0xe8/0x200

[<0>] folio_wait_writeback+0x2b/0x80

[<0>] nfs_wb_folio+0x80/0x1b0 [nfs]

[<0>] nfs_release_folio+0x68/0x130 [nfs]

[<0>] split_huge_page_to_list_to_order+0x362/0x840

[<0>] migrate_pages_batch+0x43d/0xb90

[<0>] migrate_pages_sync+0x9a/0x240

[<0>] migrate_pages+0x93c/0x9f0

[<0>] compact_zone+0x8e2/0x1030

[<0>] compact_node+0xdb/0x120

[<0>] kcompactd+0x121/0x

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-21908?

CVE-2025-21908 is a medium-severity vulnerability. It was published on April 1, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2025-21908?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2025-21908?

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2025-21908?

CyberStrike is an open-source, AI-augmented pentesting engine. Rather than flag a version number, it tests whether an issue like CVE-2025-21908 is actually reachable in your own applications and APIs, then verifies each finding before reporting it. That tells you if the weakness is a real, exploitable risk in your environment or a false positive you can safely deprioritize.

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