CVE-2025-38551: virtio-net: fix recursived rtnl_lock() during probe()
Vulnerability summary
CVE-2025-38551 is a medium (CVSS 5.5) Improper Locking vulnerability in linux. EPSS estimates a 0.12% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days, higher than 1.8% of scored vulnerabilities.
Not severe (CVSS 5.5, local access); no exploitation reported by the 5 checked sources
Source freshness unavailable
How is this decided?Advisory lineage
Upstream 0 · Downstream 27 · Related 27Timeline
- 16-08-2025PublishedVulnerability first disclosed.
- 23-05-2026Last modifiedVulnerability information updated.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: virtio-net: fix recursived rtnl_lock() during probe() The deadlock appears in a stack trace like: virtnet_probe() rtnl_lock() virtio_config_changed_work() netdev_notify_peers() rtnl_lock() It happens if the VMM sends a VIRTIO_NET_S_ANNOUNCE request while the virtio-net driver is still probing. The config_work in probe() will get scheduled until virtnet_open() enables the config change notification via virtio_config_driver_enable().
CVSS metrics
3 scores · 3 sources · 1 version- OSV · UbuntuEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
- OSV · DebianEcosystem advisory · calculated5.5MediumCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
EPSS trend
Probability
0.12%
Chance of exploitation in the next 30 days
Percentile
2%
Versus all other CVEs
30-day change
No change 0.00 pp
From 0.12% on 04-10-2026
Known exploited
Compare KEV catalogs
CISA KEVNot in the CISA KEV catalog.
ENISA CNWNot in the ENISA CNW catalog.
CIRCLNot in the CIRCL catalog.
Public exploits
0 foundNo public exploits indexed.
Weaknesses
CWE · root causeAffected systems
Known conditions: local access, low-privilege account, no user interaction (CVSS vector). Other conditions: not stated in public data.
Ubuntu121 products
- linux< 6.8.0-100.100
- linux-allwinner-5.19All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws< 6.8.0-1046.49
- linux-aws-5.0All versions (No fix recorded)
- linux-aws-5.11All versions (No fix recorded)
Linux2 products
- linux≥ df28de7b00502761eba62490f413c65c9b175ed9, < 4e7c46362550b229354aeb52038f414e231b0037 | ≥ df28de7b00502761eba62490f413c65c9b175ed9, < 3859f137b3c1fa1f0031d54263234566bdcdd7aa | ≥ df28de7b00502761eba62490f413c65c9b175ed9, < be5dcaed694e4255dc02dd0acfe036708c535def | cb06b26bb2e6d2c6a32f65f7bb1b7dcbe033d675 | ≥ 6.11.2, < 6.12 | 6.12
- linux_kernel≥ 6.11.2, < 6.12.40 | ≥ 6.13, < 6.15.8 | 6.16:rc1 | 6.16:rc2 | 6.16:rc3 | 6.16:rc4 | 6.16:rc5 | 6.16:rc6
Debian1 product
- linux< 6.12.41-1 | < 6.16.3-1
3 vendors · 124 products
