Vulnerability · CVE-2025-21876
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix suspicious RCU usage Commit ("iommu/vt-d: Allocate DMAR fault interrupts locally")…
Published Mar 27, 2025 · catalog updated Oct 15, 2026 · linux kernel
Check if you run it
No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2025-21876. EPSS is 0.21%. Act only if a listed version of linux kernel is installed.
Gaps on this record
- No vendor fix or required action is stored. Compare the linked advisory before you change production.
- Severity
- Medium5.5
- Known exploitation
- Not in CISA/VulnCheck KEV
- EPSS
- 0.21%
- Remediation
- Advisory link
- Affected products
- cpe linux/linux kernel
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix suspicious RCU usage Commit ("iommu/vt-d: Allocate DMAR fault interrupts locally") moved the call to enable_drhd_fault_handling() to a code path that does not hold any lock while traversing the drhd list. Fix it by ensuring the dmar_global_lock lock is held when traversing the drhd list. Without this fix, the following warning is triggered: ============================= WARNING: suspicious RCU usage 6.14.0-rc3 #55 Not tainted ----------------------------- drivers/iommu/intel/dmar.c:2046 RCU-list traversed in non-reader section!! other info that might help us debug this: rcu_scheduler_active = 1, debug_locks = 1 2 locks held by cpuhp/1/23: #0: ffffffff84a67c50 (cpu_hotplug_lock){++++}-{0:0}, at: cpuhp_thread_fun+0x87/0x2c0 #1: ffffffff84a6a380 (cpuhp_state-up){+.+.}-{0:0}, at: cpuhp_thread_fun+0x87/0x2c0 stack backtrace: CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 23 Comm: cpuhp/1 Not tainted 6.14.0-rc3 #55 Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0xb7/0xd0 lockdep_rcu_suspicious+0x159/0x1f0 ? __pfx_enable_drhd_fault_handling+0x10/0x10 enable_drhd_fault_handling+0x151/0x180 cpuhp_invoke_callback+0x1df/0x990 cpuhp_thread_fun+0x1ea/0x2c0 smpboot_thread_fn+0x1f5/0x2e0 ? __pfx_smpboot_thread_fn+0x10/0x10 kthread+0x12a/0x2d0 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork+0x4a/0x60 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 Holding the lock in enable_drhd_fault_handling() triggers a lockdep splat about a possible deadlock between dmar_global_lock and cpu_hotplug_lock. This is avoided by not holding dmar_global_lock when calling iommu_device_register(), which initiates the device probe process.
Are you affected?
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- cpe linux/linux kernel6.14
How to fix CVE-2025-21876
Recommended remediation
A patch or advisory reference is linked. Open the original publisher for availability by product version.
Official advisories
What to do
Three questions, each answered from this record only. Confirm the vendor advisory before you patch.
Should you patch?
No confirmed exploitation is on record for CVE-2025-21876. EPSS is 0.21%. Act only if a listed version of linux kernel is installed.
Which versions are affected?
Compare what you have installed with linux/linux kernel 6.14. Compare the installed version with the linked vendor advisory before you change production.
What should an analyst verify?
No weakness class is stored. EPSS 0.21%. There is no CISA KEV listing. No Exploit-DB or Metasploit reference is linked. Use the source links for the original advisory.
Code
The project this record applies to. Exploit listings stay in References.
Timeline
Detection, updates, and resolution for this record.
Mar 27, 2025 · NIST NVD
Detected
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix suspicious RCU usage Commit ("iommu/vt-d: Allocate DMAR fault interrupts locally") moved the call to enable_drhd_fault_handling() to a code path that does not hold any lock while traversing the drhd list. Fix it by ensuring the dmar_global_lock lock is held when traversing the drhd list. Without this fix, the follo
Oct 15, 2026 · NIST NVD
Updated
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix suspicious RCU usage Commit ("iommu/vt-d: Allocate DMAR fault interrupts locally") moved the call to enable_drhd_fault_handling() to a code path that does not hold any lock while traversing the drhd list. Fix it by ensuring the dmar_global_lock lock is held when traversing the drhd list. Without this fix, the follo
Sources
- CVE.orgVulnerability recordCVE-2025-21876
Official CVE identifier
cve.org - FIRST EPSSExploitation probabilityCVE-2025-21876
30-day exploitation probability 0.2%
first.org - NIST NVDVulnerability recordCVE-2025-21876
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: iommu/vt-d: Fix suspicious RCU usage Commit ("iommu/vt-d: Allocate DMAR fault interrupts locally") moved the call to enable_drhd_fault_handling() to a code path that does not hold any lock while
nvd.nist.gov
References
Freshness
Last verified in this catalog Oct 16, 2026. Significant claims (KEV, EPSS, CVSS, affected ranges) come from the source rows above — open the original publisher for the authoritative advisory.