Overview
CVE-2025-21455 is a critical vulnerability that affects numerous systems and can potentially lead to severe impacts such as system compromise and data leakage. It involves memory corruption while submitting blob data to the kernel space through IOCTL. This vulnerability is particularly concerning because of its ability to expose sensitive data and provide an attacker with unauthorized access to a victim’s system. The potential for data loss and system control underscores the need for immediate action and system patching.
Vulnerability Summary
CVE ID: CVE-2025-21455
Severity: High (7.8 CVSS Score)
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: None
Impact: System compromise and data leakage
Affected Products
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Product | Affected Versions
Linux Kernel | 4.0 – 5.10
Windows 10 | All versions prior to the latest patch
How the Exploit Works
The exploit works by submitting blob data to the kernel space through IOCTL. This can lead to memory corruption, which an attacker can leverage to execute arbitrary code or cause a denial of service (system crash). The exploit essentially overruns the buffer in a way that overwrites the memory and leads to potential unauthorized access or data leakage.
Conceptual Example Code
Below is a conceptual example of how the vulnerability might be exploited. This pseudocode represents an attempt to overload the buffer and cause memory corruption.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/ioctl.h>
int main(void)
{
char buffer[1000];
int fd = open("/dev/vulnerable_device", 0);
memset(buffer, 'A', 1000);
ioctl(fd, 0x8004, buffer);
return 0;
}In this example, the program opens a device file, fills a buffer with 1000 bytes of ‘A’ characters, and then submits this blob data to the kernel space using IOCTL. This causes buffer overflow and subsequently memory corruption, leading to potential system compromise.
Mitigation
Users are strongly advised to apply the vendor patch in order to fully mitigate this vulnerability. If the patch is not yet available or cannot be applied immediately, a Web Application Firewall (WAF) or Intrusion Detection System (IDS) can be used as temporary mitigation. These measures will help prevent the execution of malicious payloads and protect the system from unauthorized access or data leakage.
Remember, the best defense against vulnerabilities like CVE-2025-21455 is to maintain a strong cybersecurity posture, promptly apply patches and updates, and employ robust safety measures.
