{"dataType":"CVE_RECORD","dataVersion":"5.2","cveMetadata":{"cveId":"CVE-2025-38678","assignerOrgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","state":"PUBLISHED","assignerShortName":"Linux","dateReserved":"2025-04-16T04:51:24.031Z","datePublished":"2025-09-03T13:01:15.799Z","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T12:03:54.678Z"},"containers":{"cna":{"providerMetadata":{"orgId":"416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67","shortName":"Linux","dateUpdated":"2026-08-05T12:03:54.678Z"},"descriptions":[{"lang":"en","value":"In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:\n\nnetfilter: nf_tables: reject duplicate device on updates\n\nA chain/flowtable update with duplicated devices in the same batch is\npossible. Unfortunately, netdev event path only removes the first\ndevice that is found, leaving unregistered the hook of the duplicated\ndevice.\n\nCheck if a duplicated device exists in the transaction batch, bail out\nwith EEXIST in such case.\n\nWARNING is hit when unregistering the hook:\n\n [49042.221275] WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 8425 at net/netfilter/core.c:340 nf_hook_entry_head+0xaa/0x150\n [49042.221375] CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 8425 Comm: nft Tainted: G S                  6.16.0+ #170 PREEMPT(full)\n [...]\n [49042.221382] RIP: 0010:nf_hook_entry_head+0xaa/0x150"}],"metrics":[{"cvssV3_1":{"version":"3.1","vectorString":"CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H","baseScore":7.8,"baseSeverity":"HIGH"},"scenarios":[{"lang":"en","value":"AV:L - The vulnerability is triggered through an nftables netlink batch on NETLINK_NETFILTER (NFNL_SUBSYS_NFTABLES) followed by a local netdev removal, both of which require local system access. Per kernel guidance, netfilter/nftables netlink configuration paths are Local.\nAC:L - The attacker deterministically constructs the condition by submitting a single batch containing two chain-update (or flowtable-update) messages naming the same device, then deleting that device; no race and no uncontrolled state is involved. CONFIG_NETFILTER_INGRESS and netdev-family chains are standard in distribution kernels.\nPR:L - nfnetlink only requires CAP_NET_ADMIN relative to the socket netns's user namespace (netlink_net_capable -> netlink_ns_capable with sock_net(skb->sk)->user_ns), so an unprivileged user gains it with unshare -Urn and can create dummy/veth devices, netdev chains and flowtables there. This is Low, not High.\nUI:N - The attacker performs every step — the duplicate-device batch, the commit, and the device removal — with no action from any other user or administrator.\nS:U - The corruption and its consequences stay within the kernel's own security authority; no VM, IOMMU, or hypervisor boundary is crossed. Escalation from a user namespace to kernel privileges is standard kernel privilege escalation, scored Unchanged.\nC:H - The stranded nf_hook_ops retains a dangling ops->dev, and nf_hook_entry_head() dereferences the freed net_device (dev_net(dev)) on the next unregister — a use-after-free read. UAF of a groomable slab object gives the attacker control over the freed contents and an arbitrary-read path, so High.\nI:H - If the freed net_device is sprayed so nd_net matches, nf_hook_entry_head() returns a pointer into freed memory and __nf_unregister_net_hook()/nf_remove_net_hook()/__nf_hook_entries_tr y_shrink() then dereference and write through it, yielding a use-after-free write with an attacker-influenced nf_hook_entries pointer. The CHANGENAME variant also leaves a live ingress hook with ops->hook/ops->priv on freed basechain memory, reachable for control-flow hijack.\nA:H - The bug is confirmed to hit WARNING at nf_hook_entry_head+0xaa (net/netfilter/core.c) in the reporter's trace, and the underlying use-after-free on struct net_device causes oops/panic under KASAN or slab reuse. Any kernel crash is High."}]}],"affected":[{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"unaffected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c"],"versions":[{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"0521e694d5b80899fba8695881a6349f9bc538cb","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"4681960bc0f4f8bcc782cbf2fd205f48ad314dfd","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"4ce2a0c3b8497a66cfc25fc7ca3d087258a785d2","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"3f358a66a04513311668ea4b40f5064e253d8386","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"cf23d531a9d496863aa4c5a0e2f71f0a23f3df3c","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"d7615bde541f16517d6790412da6ec46fa8a4c1f","status":"affected","versionType":"git"},{"version":"78d9f48f7f44431a25da2b46b3a8812f6ff2b981","lessThan":"cf5fb87fcdaaaafec55dcc0dc5a9e15ead343973","status":"affected","versionType":"git"}]},{"product":"Linux","vendor":"Linux","defaultStatus":"affected","repo":"https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git","programFiles":["net/netfilter/nf_tables_api.c"],"versions":[{"version":"5.8","status":"affected"},{"version":"0","lessThan":"5.8","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.10.247","lessThanOrEqual":"5.10.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"5.15.197","lessThanOrEqual":"5.15.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.1.159","lessThanOrEqual":"6.1.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.6.117","lessThanOrEqual":"6.6.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.12.59","lessThanOrEqual":"6.12.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.16.2","lessThanOrEqual":"6.16.*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"semver"},{"version":"6.17","lessThanOrEqual":"*","status":"unaffected","versionType":"original_commit_for_fix"}]}],"cpeApplicability":[{"nodes":[{"operator":"OR","negate":false,"cpeMatch":[{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"5.10.247"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"5.15.197"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"6.1.159"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"6.6.117"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"6.12.59"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"6.16.2"},{"vulnerable":true,"criteria":"cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*","versionStartIncluding":"5.8","versionEndExcluding":"6.17"}]}]}],"references":[{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/0521e694d5b80899fba8695881a6349f9bc538cb"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4681960bc0f4f8bcc782cbf2fd205f48ad314dfd"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4ce2a0c3b8497a66cfc25fc7ca3d087258a785d2"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f358a66a04513311668ea4b40f5064e253d8386"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf23d531a9d496863aa4c5a0e2f71f0a23f3df3c"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7615bde541f16517d6790412da6ec46fa8a4c1f"},{"url":"https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cf5fb87fcdaaaafec55dcc0dc5a9e15ead343973"}],"title":"netfilter: nf_tables: reject duplicate device on updates","x_generator":{"engine":"bippy-1.2.0"}}}}