---
id: CVE-2025-38617
title: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net/packet: fix a race in packet_set_ring() and packet_notifier()

  When packet_set_ring() releases po->bind_lock, another thread can
  run packet_notifier() and process a…
summary: |-
  In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

  net/packet: fix a race in packet_set_ring() and packet_notifier()

  When packet_set_ring() releases po->bind_lock, another thread can
  run packet_notifier() and process a…
severity: high
cvss: 7.8
cvssVector: 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'
cwe:
  - CWE-362
vendor: linux
product: linux_kernel
affected:
  - 'linux_kernel >= 2.6.13, < 5.4.297'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.5, < 5.10.241'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.190'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.148'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.102'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.42'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.15.10'
  - 'linux_kernel >= 6.16, < 6.16.1'
  - linux_kernel = 2.6.12
  - debian_linux = 11.0
patched:
  - linux_kernel 6.16.1
published: '2025-08-22'
updated: '2026-10-15'
sourceUpdated: '2026-10-15T22:18:47.480'
source: NVD
sourceUrl: 'https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38617'
references:
  - url: 'https://blog.calif.io/p/a-race-within-a-race-exploiting-cve'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01d3c8417b9c1b884a8a981a3b886da556512f36'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18f13f2a83eb81be349a9757ba2141ff1da9ad73'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7da733f117533e9b2ebbd530a22ae4028713955c'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7de07705007c7e34995a5599aaab1d23e762d7ca'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88caf46db8239e6471413d28aabaa6b8bd552805'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ba2257034755ae773722f15f4c3ad1dcdad15ca9'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e50ccfaca9e3c671cae917dcb994831a859cf588'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1791fd7b845bea0ce9674fcf2febee7bc87a893'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2e8fcfd2b1bc754920108b7f2cd75082c5a18df'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://github.com/google/security-research/pull/339'
    label: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00007.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
  - url: 'https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/10/msg00008.html'
    label: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
tags:
  - nvd
  - cve.org
epss: 0.00398
epssPercentile: 0.3382
ssvc:
  exploitation: none
  automatable: 'no'
  technicalImpact: total
  timestamp: '2026-10-15T21:52:21.634455Z'
ingestedAt: '2026-10-15T22:48:25.515Z'
---

## Overview

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

net/packet: fix a race in packet_set_ring() and packet_notifier()

When packet_set_ring() releases po->bind_lock, another thread can
run packet_notifier() and process an NETDEV_UP event.

This race and the fix are both similar to that of commit 15fe076edea7
("net/packet: fix a race in packet_bind() and packet_notifier()").

There too the packet_notifier NETDEV_UP event managed to run while a
po->bind_lock critical section had to be temporarily released. And
the fix was similarly to temporarily set po->num to zero to keep
the socket unhooked until the lock is retaken.

The po->bind_lock in packet_set_ring and packet_notifier precede the
introduction of git history.

## Affected

- `linux_kernel >= 2.6.13, < 5.4.297`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.5, < 5.10.241`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.11, < 5.15.190`
- `linux_kernel >= 5.16, < 6.1.148`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.2, < 6.6.102`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.7, < 6.12.42`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.13, < 6.15.10`
- `linux_kernel >= 6.16, < 6.16.1`
- `linux_kernel = 2.6.12`
- `debian_linux = 11.0`

## Remediation

Upgrade past the affected range:

- `linux_kernel 6.16.1`