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CVE Record

CVE-2025-21880: drm/xe/userptr: fix EFAULT handling

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: drm/xe/userptr: fix EFAULT handling Currently we treat EFAULT from hmm_range_fault() as a non-fatal error when called from xe_vm_userptr_pin() with the idea that we want to avoid killing the entire vm and chucking an error, under the assumption that the user just did an unmap or something, and has no intention of actually touching that memory from the GPU. At this point we have already zapped the PTEs so any access should generate a page fault, and if the pin fails there also it will then become fatal. However it looks like it's possible for the userptr vma to still be on the rebind list in preempt_rebind_work_func(), if we had to retry the pin again due to something happening in the caller before we did the rebind step, but in the meantime needing to re-validate the userptr and this time hitting the EFAULT. This explains an internal user report of hitting: [ 191.738349] WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 157 at drivers/gpu/drm/xe/xe_res_cursor.h:158 xe_pt_stage_bind.constprop.0+0x60a/0x6b0 [xe] [ 191.738551] Workqueue: xe-ordered-wq preempt_rebind_work_func [xe] [ 191.738616] RIP: 0010:xe_pt_stage_bind.constprop.0+0x60a/0x6b0 [xe] [ 191.738690] Call Trace: [ 191.738692] <TASK> [ 191.738694] ? show_regs+0x69/0x80 [ 191.738698] ? __warn+0x93/0x1a0 [ 191.738703] ? xe_pt_stage_bind.constprop.0+0x60a/0x6b0 [xe] [ 191.738759] ? report_bug+0x18f/0x1a0 [ 191.738764] ? handle_bug+0x63/0xa0 [ 191.738767] ? exc_invalid_op+0x19/0x70 [ 191.738770] ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x1b/0x20 [ 191.738777] ? xe_pt_stage_bind.constprop.0+0x60a/0x6b0 [xe] [ 191.738834] ? ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 [ 191.738849] bind_op_prepare+0x105/0x7b0 [xe] [ 191.738906] ? dma_resv_reserve_fences+0x301/0x380 [ 191.738912] xe_pt_update_ops_prepare+0x28c/0x4b0 [xe] [ 191.738966] ? kmemleak_alloc+0x4b/0x80 [ 191.738973] ops_execute+0x188/0x9d0 [xe] [ 191.739036] xe_vm_rebind+0x4ce/0x5a0 [xe] [ 191.739098] ? trace_hardirqs_on+0x4d/0x60 [ 191.739112] preempt_rebind_work_func+0x76f/0xd00 [xe] Followed by NPD, when running some workload, since the sg was never actually populated but the vma is still marked for rebind when it should be skipped for this special EFAULT case. This is confirmed to fix the user report. v2 (MattB): - Move earlier. v3 (MattB): - Update the commit message to make it clear that this indeed fixes the issue. (cherry picked from commit 6b93cb98910c826c2e2004942f8b060311e43618)

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2025-21880 is a Linux kernel graphics-driver bug in the xe DRM driver. Under a specific GPU memory rebind error path, the driver may continue processing memory that was not correctly pinned, leading to kernel warnings and a null-pointer dereference. The source describes reliability impact, not confirmed exploitation.

Executive priority

Handle through normal kernel patch management, with higher priority for workstations, compute nodes, or servers using the xe graphics driver. The business risk is currently uncertain because severity and exploitation evidence are not provided.

Technical view

The xe userptr path mishandles EFAULT from hmm_range_fault() during xe_vm_userptr_pin(). A VMA can remain on the rebind list and later be processed by preempt_rebind_work_func() even though its scatter-gather state was not populated, causing warnings and a null-pointer dereference. Stable kernel commits are referenced as fixes.

Likely exposure

Exposure appears limited to Linux systems using the xe DRM driver and affected kernel builds. The bundle lists Linux 6.10 and later stable update markers, but downstream distro backports may differ. Confirm exposure against kernel package advisories and the referenced stable commits.

Exploitation context

The provided sources do not show public exploitation, KEV listing, proof-of-concept code, or remote attack evidence. The described trigger came from an internal user report during a workload. Treat exploitation status as unconfirmed.

Researcher notes

The key condition is an EFAULT during userptr validation while a VMA remains scheduled for rebind. The fix skips the special EFAULT case earlier so unpopulated scatter-gather state is not later bound. Source evidence supports a stability flaw, not privilege escalation.

Mitigation direction

  • Upgrade to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Check your Linux distribution’s advisory for backported kernel packages.
  • Prioritize systems using Intel xe DRM GPU functionality.
  • If unable to patch, reduce exposure of affected GPU workloads where operationally feasible.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory Linux kernel versions across GPU-capable systems.
  • Check whether the xe DRM driver is present or loaded.
  • Map installed kernels to vendor advisories and referenced stable commits.
  • Review kernel logs for xe warnings, rebind failures, or null-pointer dereferences.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
5

Public sources used

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

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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

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

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  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

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  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

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Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux521db22a1d70dbc596a07544a738416025b1b63c, 521db22a1d70dbc596a07544a738416025b1b63c, 521db22a1d70dbc596a07544a738416025b1b63cunaffected
LinuxLinux6.10, 0, 6.12.18, 6.13.6, 6.14affected
Weakness

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