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Unscored CVE-2025-38271 EUVD-2025-20977GHSA-v9wx-3hgc-c95m

net: prevent a NULL deref in rtnl_create_link()

Published Jul 10, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026 · Assigned by Linux

Vendor: Linux Product: Linux Package: linux-allwinner-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.0 Package: linux-aws-5.11 Package: linux-aws-5.13 Package: linux-aws-5.19 Package: linux-aws-5.3 Package: linux-aws-5.8 Package: linux-aws-6.2 Package: linux-aws-6.5 Package: linux-azure Package: linux-azure-5.11 Package: linux-azure-5.13 Package: linux-azure-5.19 Package: linux-azure-5.3 Package: linux-azure-5.8 Package: linux-azure-6.11 Package: linux-azure-6.2 Package: linux-azure-6.5 Package: linux-azure-edge Package: linux-azure-fde Package: linux-azure-fde-5.19 Package: linux-azure-fde-6.2 Package: linux-gcp Package: linux-gcp-5.11 Package: linux-gcp-5.13 Package: linux-gcp-5.19 Package: linux-gcp-5.3 Package: linux-gcp-5.8 Package: linux-gcp-6.11 Package: linux-gcp-6.2 Package: linux-gcp-6.5 Package: linux-gke Package: linux-gke-4.15 Package: linux-gke-5.15 Package: linux-gke-5.4 Package: linux-gkeop Package: linux-gkeop-5.15 Package: linux-gkeop-5.4 Package: linux-hwe Package: linux-hwe-5.11 Package: linux-hwe-5.13 Package: linux-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-hwe-5.8 Package: linux-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-hwe-edge Package: linux-intel-5.13 Package: linux-intel-iot-realtime Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-5.19 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.11 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.2 Package: linux-lowlatency-hwe-6.5 Package: linux-nvidia-6.2 Package: linux-nvidia-6.5 Package: linux-oem Package: linux-oem-5.10 Package: linux-oem-5.13 Package: linux-oem-5.14 Package: linux-oem-5.17 Package: linux-oem-5.6 Package: linux-oem-6.0 Package: linux-oem-6.1 Package: linux-oem-6.5 Package: linux-oracle-5.0 Package: linux-oracle-5.11 Package: linux-oracle-5.13 Package: linux-oracle-5.3 Package: linux-oracle-5.8 Package: linux-oracle-6.5 Package: linux-raspi-realtime Package: linux-raspi2 Package: linux-realtime Package: linux-riscv Package: linux-riscv-5.11 Package: linux-riscv-5.19 Package: linux-riscv-5.8 Package: linux-riscv-6.5 Package: linux-starfive-5.19 Package: linux-starfive-6.2 Package: linux-starfive-6.5 Platform: Linux Ecosystem: Ubuntu

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: prevent a NULL deref in rtnl_create_link()

At the time rtnl_create_link() is running, dev->netdev_ops is NULL,
we must not use netdev_lock_ops() or risk a NULL deref if
CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is defined.

Use netif_set_group() instead of dev_set_group().

RIP: 0010:netdev_need_ops_lock include/net/netdev_lock.h:33 [inline]
RIP: 0010:netdev_lock_ops include/net/netdev_lock.h:41 [inline]
RIP: 0010:dev_set_group+0xc0/0x230 net/core/dev_api.c:82
Call Trace:
<TASK>
rtnl_create_link+0x748/0xd10 net/core/rtnetlink.c:3674
rtnl_newlink_create+0x25c/0xb00 net/core/rtnetlink.c:3813
__rtnl_newlink net/core/rtnetlink.c:3940 [inline]
rtnl_newlink+0x16d6/0x1c70 net/core/rtnetlink.c:4055
rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x7cf/0xb70 net/core/rtnetlink.c:6944
netlink_rcv_skb+0x208/0x470 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2534
netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline]
netlink_unicast+0x75b/0x8d0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339
netlink_sendmsg+0x805/0xb30 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1883
sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline]

Affected products

VendorProductAffectedFixed
Linux Linux 6.15 6.15.3

Fixed in Linux distributions

Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS linux-riscv +6 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS linux-riscv +32 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 20.04 LTS linux-gke +28 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 18.04 LTS linux-gcp +14 No fix yet —
Ubuntu 16.04 LTS linux-hwe-edge No fix yet —

Oracle Linux

ReleasePackageFixed inAdvisory
Oracle Linux 9 kernel-uek +34 6.12.0-205.92.4.2.el10uek ELSA-2026-500150

Advisories 2

References