Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: i2c: npcm: disable interrupt...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
i2c: npcm: disable interrupt enable bit before devm_request_irq
The customer reports that there is a soft lockup issue related to
the i2c driver. After checking, the i2c module was doing a tx transfer
and the bmc machine reboots in the middle of the i2c transaction, the i2c
module keeps the status without being reset.
Due to such an i2c module status, the i2c irq handler keeps getting
triggered since the i2c irq handler is registered in the kernel booting
process after the bmc machine is doing a warm rebooting.
The continuous triggering is stopped by the soft lockup watchdog timer.
Disable the interrupt enable bit in the i2c module before calling
devm_request_irq to fix this issue since the i2c relative status bit
is read-only.
Here is the soft lockup log.
[ 28.176395] watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#0 stuck for 26s! [swapper/0:1]
[ 28.183351] Modules linked in:
[ 28.186407] CPU: 0 PID: 1 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 5.15.120-yocto-s-dirty-bbebc78 #1
[ 28.201174] pstate: 40000005 (nZcv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
[ 28.208128] pc : __do_softirq+0xb0/0x368
[ 28.212055] lr : __do_softirq+0x70/0x368
[ 28.215972] sp : ffffff8035ebca00
[ 28.219278] x29: ffffff8035ebca00 x28: 0000000000000002 x27: ffffff80071a3780
[ 28.226412] x26: ffffffc008bdc000 x25: ffffffc008bcc640 x24: ffffffc008be50c0
[ 28.233546] x23: ffffffc00800200c x22: 0000000000000000 x21: 000000000000001b
[ 28.240679] x20: 0000000000000000 x19: ffffff80001c3200 x18: ffffffffffffffff
[ 28.247812] x17: ffffffc02d2e0000 x16: ffffff8035eb8b40 x15: 00001e8480000000
[ 28.254945] x14: 02c3647e37dbfcb6 x13: 02c364f2ab14200c x12: 0000000002c364f2
[ 28.262078] x11: 00000000fa83b2da x10: 000000000000b67e x9 : ffffffc008010250
[ 28.269211] x8 : 000000009d983d00 x7 : 7fffffffffffffff x6 : 0000036d74732434
[ 28.276344] x5 : 00ffffffffffffff x4 : 0000000000000015 x3 : 0000000000000198
[ 28.283476] x2 : ffffffc02d2e0000 x1 : 00000000000000e0 x0 : ffffffc008bdcb40
[ 28.290611] Call trace:
[ 28.293052] __do_softirq+0xb0/0x368
[ 28.296625] __irq_exit_rcu+0xe0/0x100
[ 28.300374] irq_exit+0x14/0x20
[ 28.303513] handle_domain_irq+0x68/0x90
[ 28.307440] gic_handle_irq+0x78/0xb0
[ 28.311098] call_on_irq_stack+0x20/0x38
[ 28.315019] do_interrupt_handler+0x54/0x5c
[ 28.319199] el1_interrupt+0x2c/0x4c
[ 28.322777] el1h_64_irq_handler+0x14/0x20
[ 28.326872] el1h_64_irq+0x74/0x78
[ 28.330269] __setup_irq+0x454/0x780
[ 28.333841] request_threaded_irq+0xd0/0x1b4
[ 28.338107] devm_request_threaded_irq+0x84/0x100
[ 28.342809] npcm_i2c_probe_bus+0x188/0x3d0
[ 28.346990] platform_probe+0x6c/0xc4
[ 28.350653] really_probe+0xcc/0x45c
[ 28.354227] __driver_probe_device+0x8c/0x160
[ 28.358578] driver_probe_device+0x44/0xe0
[ 28.362670] __driver_attach+0x124/0x1d0
[ 28.366589] bus_for_each_dev+0x7c/0xe0
[ 28.370426] driver_attach+0x28/0x30
[ 28.373997] bus_add_driver+0x124/0x240
[ 28.377830] driver_register+0x7c/0x124
[ 28.381662] __platform_driver_register+0x2c/0x34
[ 28.386362] npcm_i2c_init+0x3c/0x5c
[ 28.389937] do_one_initcall+0x74/0x230
[ 28.393768] kernel_init_freeable+0x24c/0x2b4
[ 28.398126] kernel_init+0x28/0x130
[ 28.401614] ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
[ 28.405189] Kernel panic - not syncing: softlockup: hung tasks
[ 28.411011] SMP: stopping secondary CPUs
[ 28.414933] Kernel Offset: disabled
[ 28.418412] CPU features: 0x00000000,00000802
[ 28.427644] Rebooting in 20 seconds..
Impact
CVE-2025-21878 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-21878? CVE-2025-21878 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-21878? CVE-2025-21878 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-21878? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-21878 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-21878 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-21878 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-21878 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.