CVE-2025-21655: Software Security Vulnerability Vulnerability

MODERATE
Advisory Identifier: GHSA-vwm2-fvjj-vcv3
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CVSS 4.7
CWE-416
Published
Advisory Summary

CVE-2025-21655 is a MODERATE (CVSS 4.7) security vulnerability vulnerability (CWE-416: Use After Free) affecting Software libraries in the Maven ecosystem. The weakness occurs when the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.. Remediation is available in the latest vendor maintenance releases.

CVE-2025-21655 at a Glance

CVE Identifier CVE-2025-21655
GHSA Identifier GHSA-vwm2-fvjj-vcv3
Severity MODERATE
CVSS v3.1 Base Score 4.7
CWE Classification CWE-416: Use After Free
Affected Product Software
Package Ecosystem Maven
Published Date
Last Updated

Security Impact

CVSS: 4.7

The security impact metrics below are parsed directly from the CVSS v3.1 vector string (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H).

Attack Vector Local (AV:L)
Attack Complexity High (AC:H)
Privileges Required Low (PR:L)
User Interaction None (UI:N)
Scope Unchanged (S:U)
Confidentiality None (C:N)
Integrity None (I:N)
Availability High (A:H)

How to Fix CVE-2025-21655

To remediate this vulnerability, upgrade all affected Software dependencies to a patched release. Both direct and transitive dependencies should be checked, as frameworks or security libraries may pull in vulnerable versions transitively.

Verify Direct and Transitive Dependencies

Run the following command in your project directory to verify that all resolved dependencies use the patched release: 

mvn dependency:tree

How to Check if You Are Affected

To determine whether your Java application is affected by CVE-2025-21655, inspect your build dependencies using the Maven Dependency Plugin:

mvn dependency:tree

Analyze the terminal output to locate any version of Software in your dependency tree. If any resolved version matches the vulnerable ranges listed in the table below (for example, versions earlier than the patched release), your application is affected.

Note: The mvn dependency:tree command inspects the resolved dependency graph declared in your project's POM files; it does not perform automated security scanning or inspect runtime dynamic classpaths. Always verify runtime container classpaths and shaded JARs.

Technical Details

Vulnerability Mechanism & Technical Analysis

This vulnerability is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free, where the product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. at some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer. In Software, software state validation or input boundaries are circumvented during processing. Review the official source advisory statement below for specific affected components, classes, and reproduction details.

Source Advisory Statement

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: io_uring/eventfd: ensure io_eventfd_signal() defers another RCU period io_eventfd_do_signal() is invoked from an RCU callback, but when dropping the reference to the io_ev_fd, it calls io_eventfd_free() directly if the refcount drops to zero. This isn't correct, as any potential freeing of the io_ev_fd should be deferred another RCU grace period. Just call io_eventfd_put() rather than open-code the dec-and-test and free, which will correctly defer it another RCU grace period.

References

NVD — CVE-2025-21655 NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-21655
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-019113.html
cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ss... WEB
https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html
git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b63308c28... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6b63308c28987c6010b1180c72a6db4df6c68033
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8efff2aa2d... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8efff2aa2d95dc437ab67c5b4a9f1d3f367baa10
git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7085c3ae4... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7085c3ae43b86d4b3d1b8275e6a67f14257e3b7
git.kernel.org/stable/c/c9a40292a4... WEB
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c9a40292a44e78f71258b8522655bffaf5753bdb
lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce... WEB
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html
project-zero.issues.chromium.org/issues/388499293 WEB
https://project-zero.issues.chromium.org/issues/388499293

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-21655?
CVE-2025-21655 is a security vulnerability in Software classified as a security vulnerability vulnerability under CWE-416: Use After Free.
Which Software versions are affected?
Affected versions include releases prior to current release patches.
What version fixes CVE-2025-21655?
Upgrading to current release patches (or the latest patched release for your respective branch) resolves the vulnerability.
What is the CVSS score of CVE-2025-21655?
CVE-2025-21655 has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (MODERATE) with vector string CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
What CWE is associated with CVE-2025-21655?
CVE-2025-21655 is classified under CWE-416: Use After Free (The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory "belongs" to the code that operates on the new pointer.).
How can I check Maven dependencies for CVE-2025-21655?
Run the dependency tree command: 'mvn dependency:tree'. This command lists direct and transitive dependencies in your build configuration so you can verify if a vulnerable version is resolved.
Machine-readable OSV JSON OSV v1.5 Schema
Normalized schema output
View Raw JSON 
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  "id" : "GHSA-vwm2-fvjj-vcv3",
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  "published" : "2025-01-20T15:31:24Z",
  "aliases" : [ "CVE-2025-21655" ],
  "details" : "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nio_uring/eventfd: ensure io_eventfd_signal() defers another RCU period\n\nio_eventfd_do_signal() is invoked from an RCU callback, but when\ndropping the reference to the io_ev_fd, it calls io_eventfd_free()\ndirectly if the refcount drops to zero. This isn't correct, as any\npotential freeing of the io_ev_fd should be deferred another RCU grace\nperiod.\n\nJust call io_eventfd_put() rather than open-code the dec-and-test and\nfree, which will correctly defer it another RCU grace period.",
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    "url" : "https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-457936.html"
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