CVE-2026-52925
Analyzed Analyzed - Analysis Complete

NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux Kernel VRF

Vulnerability report for CVE-2026-52925, including description, CVSS score, EPSS score, affected products, exploitability, helpful resources, and attack-flow context.

Publication date: 2026-06-24

Last updated on: 2026-07-08

Assigner: kernel.org

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vrf: Fix a potential NPD when removing a port from a VRF RCU readers that identified a net device as a VRF port using netif_is_l3_slave() assume that a subsequent call to netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu() will return a VRF device. They then continue to dereference its l3mdev operations. This assumption is not always correct and can result in a NPD [1]. There is no RCU synchronization when removing a port from a VRF, so it is possible for an RCU reader to see a new master device (e.g., a bridge) that does not have l3mdev operations. Fix by adding RCU synchronization after clearing the IFF_L3MDEV_SLAVE flag. Skip this synchronization when a net device is removed from a VRF as part of its deletion and when the VRF device itself is deleted. In the latter case an RCU grace period will pass by the time RTNL is released. [1] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [...] RIP: 0010:l3mdev_fib_table_rcu (net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:181) [...] Call Trace: <TASK> l3mdev_fib_table_by_index (net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:201 net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:189) __inet_bind (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:499 (discriminator 3)) inet_bind_sk (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:469) __sys_bind (./include/linux/file.h:62 (discriminator 1) ./include/linux/file.h:83 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1951 (discriminator 1)) __x64_sys_bind (net/socket.c:1969 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1967 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1967 (discriminator 1)) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 (discriminator 1) arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 (discriminator 1)) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130)

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Meta Information

Published
2026-06-24
Last Modified
2026-07-08
Generated
2026-07-14
AI Q&A
2026-06-24
EPSS Evaluated
2026-07-13
NVD
EUVD

Affected Vendors & Products

Showing 8 associated CPEs
Vendor Product Version / Range
linux linux_kernel 7.1
linux linux_kernel From 6.2 (inc) to 6.6.141 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.7 (inc) to 6.12.91 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.13 (inc) to 6.18.33 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 6.19 (inc) to 7.0.10 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.16 (inc) to 6.1.175 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 5.11 (inc) to 5.15.209 (exc)
linux linux_kernel From 4.12 (inc) to 5.10.258 (exc)

Helpful Resources

Exploitability

CWE
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KEV
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CWE ID Description
CWE-476 The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.

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Executive Summary

This vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's handling of VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) ports. Specifically, when removing a port from a VRF, there is no proper RCU (Read-Copy-Update) synchronization. RCU readers that identify a network device as a VRF port assume that a subsequent call will return a VRF device and dereference its l3mdev operations. However, this assumption can be incorrect, leading to a NULL pointer dereference (NPD) because the new master device might not have l3mdev operations.

The fix involves adding RCU synchronization after clearing the IFF_L3MDEV_SLAVE flag to prevent this issue, except in cases where the device or VRF is being deleted, where other synchronization mechanisms apply.

Impact Analysis

This vulnerability can cause a kernel NULL pointer dereference, which may lead to a kernel crash or system instability. Such crashes can result in denial of service conditions, affecting the availability of the system or network services relying on the Linux kernel's networking stack.

Compliance Impact

The provided information does not include any details on how this vulnerability impacts compliance with common standards and regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA.

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