CVE-2025-21780
📋 TL;DR
This CVE describes a buffer overflow vulnerability in the AMD GPU driver for Linux kernels. A malicious user with local access can exploit this by providing specially crafted power performance tables through sysfs, potentially leading to kernel memory corruption. Systems running affected Linux kernels with AMD GPU hardware are vulnerable.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with AMD GPU driver (drm/amdgpu)
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel privilege escalation leading to full system compromise, denial of service, or arbitrary code execution at kernel level.
Likely Case
Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service, potentially allowing limited information disclosure or privilege escalation.
If Mitigated
No impact if proper access controls prevent unauthorized users from writing to sysfs power performance table files.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of the sysfs interface. Buffer overflow in kernel space makes exploitation non-trivial but possible.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees (commits referenced in CVE)
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1abb2648698bf10783d2236a6b4a7ca5e8021699
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify amdgpu driver is functioning correctly after update.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Restrict sysfs access
LinuxLimit write access to the vulnerable sysfs power performance table files to prevent exploitation
chmod 644 /sys/class/drm/card*/device/pp_table
chown root:root /sys/class/drm/card*/device/pp_table
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Implement strict access controls on sysfs interface to prevent unauthorized writes
- Monitor for unusual access patterns to GPU sysfs files and implement kernel module blacklisting if AMD GPU not required
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if amdgpu module is loaded: lsmod | grep amdgpuCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check that sysfs pp_table files have proper permissions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages
- System crashes related to amdgpu module
- Failed attempts to write to sysfs GPU files
Network Indicators:
- Not network exploitable - local only vulnerability
SIEM Query:
Search for: 'amdgpu' AND ('Oops' OR 'panic' OR 'segfault') in kernel logs🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1abb2648698bf10783d2236a6b4a7ca5e8021699
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/231075c5a8ea54f34b7c4794687baa980814e6de
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2498d2db1d35e88a2060ea191ae75dce853dd084
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3484ea33157bc7334f57e64826ec5a4bf992151a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e43a8b9c4d700ffec819c5043a48769b3e7d9cab
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00028.html
