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CVE Record

CVE-2025-21654: ovl: support encoding fid from inode with no alias

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ovl: support encoding fid from inode with no alias Dmitry Safonov reported that a WARN_ON() assertion can be trigered by userspace when calling inotify_show_fdinfo() for an overlayfs watched inode, whose dentry aliases were discarded with drop_caches. The WARN_ON() assertion in inotify_show_fdinfo() was removed, because it is possible for encoding file handle to fail for other reason, but the impact of failing to encode an overlayfs file handle goes beyond this assertion. As shown in the LTP test case mentioned in the link below, failure to encode an overlayfs file handle from a non-aliased inode also leads to failure to report an fid with FAN_DELETE_SELF fanotify events. As Dmitry notes in his analyzis of the problem, ovl_encode_fh() fails if it cannot find an alias for the inode, but this failure can be fixed. ovl_encode_fh() seldom uses the alias and in the case of non-decodable file handles, as is often the case with fanotify fid info, ovl_encode_fh() never needs to use the alias to encode a file handle. Defer finding an alias until it is actually needed so ovl_encode_fh() will not fail in the common case of FAN_DELETE_SELF fanotify events.

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2025-21654 is a Linux kernel overlayfs issue. A local userspace action can trigger a kernel warning and can cause fanotify to omit file identifiers for certain self-delete events. The main concern is reliability of monitoring/audit workflows on systems using overlayfs, rather than a confirmed remote compromise path.

Executive priority

Treat as a maintenance-priority kernel fix, higher for container hosts or systems where overlayfs monitoring supports security detection or compliance. No source confirms active exploitation or remote code execution.

Technical view

The fix changes overlayfs file-handle encoding so ovl_encode_fh() does not fail when an inode has no dentry alias after cache dropping. The reported effects include a WARN_ON() in inotify_show_fdinfo() and failure to report an fid with FAN_DELETE_SELF fanotify events.

Likely exposure

Systems running affected Linux kernels with overlayfs are the relevant exposure. Impact is most relevant where inotify/fanotify-based security, audit, or file monitoring depends on overlayfs file identifiers.

Exploitation context

The source describes a userspace-triggerable condition and an LTP test case. There is no cited evidence of active exploitation, no KEV listing, and no public weaponization details in the provided sources.

Researcher notes

Affected-version data in the bundle is limited and inconsistent; verify exact ranges through kernel stable history and distribution advisories. The issue centers on overlayfs file-handle encoding from non-aliased inodes after drop_caches.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a Linux kernel containing the referenced stable overlayfs fixes.
  • Check your OS vendor advisory for backported fixes in distribution kernels.
  • Prioritize hosts using overlayfs with file monitoring or audit tooling.
  • Review panic-on-warn settings where kernel warnings could affect availability.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers, containers hosts, and appliances.
  • Identify systems using overlayfs and fanotify or inotify monitoring.
  • Confirm whether vendor kernels include the referenced stable commits.
  • Test monitoring tools for expected FAN_DELETE_SELF file identifier reporting after patching.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5

These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
0ADP providers
4Source links

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux16aac5ad1fa94894b798dd522c5c3a6a0628d7f0, 16aac5ad1fa94894b798dd522c5c3a6a0628d7f0, 16aac5ad1fa94894b798dd522c5c3a6a0628d7f0unaffected
LinuxLinux6.6, 0, 6.6.74, 6.12.10, 6.13affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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