---
id: CVE-2025-37859
title: 'page_pool: avoid infinite loop to schedule delayed worker'
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  page_pool: avoid infinite loop to schedule delayed worker

  We noticed the kworker in page_pool_release_retry() was waken
  up repeatedly and infinitely in production beca…
severity: none
vendor: Linux
product: Linux
affected:
  - >-
    Linux >= 05f646cb2174d1a4e032b60b99097f5c4b522616 <
    c3c7c57017ce1d4b2d3788c1fc59e7e39026e158
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    9f71db4fb82deb889e0bac4a51b34daea7d506a3
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    91522aba56e9fcdf64da25ffef9b27f8fad48e0f
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    90e089a64504982f8d62f223027cb9f903781f78
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    95f17738b86fd198924d874a5639bcdc49c7e5b8
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    7204335d1991c23fc615ab76f31f175748a578e1
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    e74e5aa33228c5e2cb4fc80ad103541a7b7805ec
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    738d1812ec2e395e953258aea912ddd867d11a13
  - >-
    Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 <
    43130d02baa137033c25297aaae95fd0edc41654
  - Linux bf22306d92ca59c59dc4aa3bab14768948193d56
  - Linux >= 5.4.5 < 5.4.293
  - Linux >= 5.3.18 < 5.4
  - Linux 5.5
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: partial
  timestamp: '2026-11-05T20:42:33.230277Z'
published: '2025-05-09'
updated: '2026-11-05'
sourceUpdated: '2026-11-05T20:52:05.792Z'
source: CVEORG
sourceUrl: 'https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-37859'
references:
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3c7c57017ce1d4b2d3788c1fc59e7e39026e158'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9f71db4fb82deb889e0bac4a51b34daea7d506a3'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/91522aba56e9fcdf64da25ffef9b27f8fad48e0f'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/90e089a64504982f8d62f223027cb9f903781f78'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/95f17738b86fd198924d874a5639bcdc49c7e5b8'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7204335d1991c23fc615ab76f31f175748a578e1'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e74e5aa33228c5e2cb4fc80ad103541a7b7805ec'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/738d1812ec2e395e953258aea912ddd867d11a13'
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/43130d02baa137033c25297aaae95fd0edc41654'
tags:
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00311
epssPercentile: 0.24169
ingestedAt: '2026-11-05T22:38:31.887Z'
---

## Overview

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

page_pool: avoid infinite loop to schedule delayed worker

We noticed the kworker in page_pool_release_retry() was waken
up repeatedly and infinitely in production because of the
buggy driver causing the inflight less than 0 and warning
us in page_pool_inflight()[1].

Since the inflight value goes negative, it means we should
not expect the whole page_pool to get back to work normally.

This patch mitigates the adverse effect by not rescheduling
the kworker when detecting the inflight negative in
page_pool_release_retry().

[1]
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025] Negative(-51446) inflight packet-pages
...
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025] Call Trace:
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  page_pool_release_retry+0x23/0x70
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  process_one_work+0x1b1/0x370
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  worker_thread+0x37/0x3a0
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  kthread+0x11a/0x140
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  ? process_one_work+0x370/0x370
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  ? __kthread_cancel_work+0x40/0x40
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025]  ret_from_fork+0x35/0x40
[Mon Feb 10 20:36:11 2025] ---[ end trace ebffe800f33e7e34 ]---
Note: before this patch, the above calltrace would flood the
dmesg due to repeated reschedule of release_dw kworker.

## Affected

- `Linux >= 05f646cb2174d1a4e032b60b99097f5c4b522616 < c3c7c57017ce1d4b2d3788c1fc59e7e39026e158`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 9f71db4fb82deb889e0bac4a51b34daea7d506a3`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 91522aba56e9fcdf64da25ffef9b27f8fad48e0f`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 90e089a64504982f8d62f223027cb9f903781f78`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 95f17738b86fd198924d874a5639bcdc49c7e5b8`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 7204335d1991c23fc615ab76f31f175748a578e1`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < e74e5aa33228c5e2cb4fc80ad103541a7b7805ec`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 738d1812ec2e395e953258aea912ddd867d11a13`
- `Linux >= c3f812cea0d7006469d1cf33a4a9f0a12bb4b3a3 < 43130d02baa137033c25297aaae95fd0edc41654`
- `Linux bf22306d92ca59c59dc4aa3bab14768948193d56`
- `Linux >= 5.4.5 < 5.4.293`
- `Linux >= 5.3.18 < 5.4`
- `Linux 5.5`

## Remediation

Refer to the linked advisories for vendor-supplied fixes and affected version ranges.