Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: btrfs: zoned: fix extent...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
btrfs: zoned: fix extent range end unlock in cow_file_range()
Running generic/751 on the for-next branch often results in a hang like
below. They are both stack by locking an extent. This suggests someone
forget to unlock an extent.
INFO: task kworker/u128:1:12 blocked for more than 323 seconds.
Not tainted 6.13.0-BTRFS-ZNS+ #503
"echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
task:kworker/u128:1 state:D stack:0 pid:12 tgid:12 ppid:2 flags:0x00004000
Workqueue: btrfs-fixup btrfs_work_helper [btrfs]
Call Trace:
__schedule+0x534/0xdd0
schedule+0x39/0x140
__lock_extent+0x31b/0x380 [btrfs]
? __pfx_autoremove_wake_function+0x10/0x10
btrfs_writepage_fixup_worker+0xf1/0x3a0 [btrfs]
btrfs_work_helper+0xff/0x480 [btrfs]
? lock_release+0x178/0x2c0
process_one_work+0x1ee/0x570
? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f
worker_thread+0x1d1/0x3b0
? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
kthread+0x10b/0x230
? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
ret_from_fork+0x30/0x50
? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
INFO: task kworker/u134:0:184 blocked for more than 323 seconds.
Not tainted 6.13.0-BTRFS-ZNS+ #503
"echo 0 > /proc/sys/kernel/hung_task_timeout_secs" disables this message.
task:kworker/u134:0 state:D stack:0 pid:184 tgid:184 ppid:2 flags:0x00004000
Workqueue: writeback wb_workfn (flush-btrfs-4)
Call Trace:
__schedule+0x534/0xdd0
schedule+0x39/0x140
__lock_extent+0x31b/0x380 [btrfs]
? __pfx_autoremove_wake_function+0x10/0x10
find_lock_delalloc_range+0xdb/0x260 [btrfs]
writepage_delalloc+0x12f/0x500 [btrfs]
? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f
extent_write_cache_pages+0x232/0x840 [btrfs]
btrfs_writepages+0x72/0x130 [btrfs]
do_writepages+0xe7/0x260
? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f
? lock_acquire+0xd2/0x300
? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f
? find_held_lock+0x2b/0x80
? wbc_attach_and_unlock_inode.part.0+0x102/0x250
? wbc_attach_and_unlock_inode.part.0+0x102/0x250
__writeback_single_inode+0x5c/0x4b0
writeback_sb_inodes+0x22d/0x550
__writeback_inodes_wb+0x4c/0xe0
wb_writeback+0x2f6/0x3f0
wb_workfn+0x32a/0x510
process_one_work+0x1ee/0x570
? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f
worker_thread+0x1d1/0x3b0
? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
kthread+0x10b/0x230
? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
ret_from_fork+0x30/0x50
? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30
This happens because we have another success path for the zoned mode. When
there is no active zone available, btrfs_reserve_extent() returns
-EAGAIN. In this case, we have two reactions.
(1) If the given range is never allocated, we can only wait for someone
to finish a zone, so wait on BTRFS_FS_NEED_ZONE_FINISH bit and retry
afterward.
(2) Or, if some allocations are already done, we must bail out and let
the caller to send IOs for the allocation. This is because these IOs
may be necessary to finish a zone.
The commit 06f364284794 ("btrfs: do proper folio cleanup when
cow_file_range() failed") moved the unlock code from the inside of the
loop to the outside. So, previously, the allocated extents are unlocked
just after the allocation and so before returning from the function.
However, they are no longer unlocked on the case (2) above. That caused
the hang issue.
Fix the issue by modifying the 'end' to the end of the allocated
range. Then, we can exit the loop and the same unlock code can properly
handle the case.
Impact
CVE-2025-21942 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.
Already deployed Kodem?
See it in your environmentNew to Kodem? Get a demo →Remediation advice
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-21942? CVE-2025-21942 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-21942? CVE-2025-21942 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-2025-21942? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-21942 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-21942 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-21942 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-2025-21942 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.