Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-43012

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-05-01

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.81 / 6.18.22 or later.

See remediation →

57/100

Remediation priority · Elevated

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Fix switchdev mode rollback in case of failure If for some internal reason switchdev mode fails, we rollback to legacy mode, before this patch, rollback will unregister the uplink netdev and leave it unregistered causing the below kernel bug. To fix this, we need to avoid netdev unregister by setting the proper rollback flag 'MLX5_PRIV_FLAGS_SWITCH_LEGACY' to indicate legacy mode. devlink (431) used greatest stack depth: 11048 bytes left mlx5_core 0000:00:03.0: E-Switch: Disable: mode(LEGACY), nvfs(0), \ necvfs(0), active vports(0) mlx5_core 0000:00:03.0: E-Switch: Supported tc chains and prios offload mlx5_core 0000:00:03.0: Loading uplink representor for vport 65535 mlx5_core 0000:00:03.0: mlx5_cmd_out_err:816:(pid 456): \ QUERY_HCA_CAP(0x100) op_mod(0x0) failed, \ status bad parameter(0x3), syndrome (0x3a3846), err(-22) mlx5_core 0000:00:03.0 enp0s3np0 (unregistered): Unloading uplink \ representor for vport 65535 ------------[ cut here ]------------ kernel BUG at net/core/dev.c:12070! Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP NOPTI CPU: 2 UID: 0 PID: 456 Comm: devlink Not tainted 6.16.0-rc3+ \ #9 PREEMPT(voluntary) RIP: 0010:unregister_netdevice_many_notify+0x123/0xae0 ... Call Trace: [ 90.923094] unregister_netdevice_queue+0xad/0xf0 [ 90.923323] unregister_netdev+0x1c/0x40 [ 90.923522] mlx5e_vport_rep_unload+0x61/0xc6 [ 90.923736] esw_offloads_enable+0x8e6/0x920 [ 90.923947] mlx5_eswitch_enable_locked+0x349/0x430 [ 90.924182] ? is_mp_supported+0x57/0xb0 [ 90.924376] mlx5_devlink_eswitch_mode_set+0x167/0x350 [ 90.924628] devlink_nl_eswitch_set_doit+0x6f/0xf0 [ 90.924862] genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0xe8/0x140 [ 90.925088] genl_rcv_msg+0x18b/0x290 [ 90.925269] ? __pfx_devlink_nl_pre_doit+0x10/0x10 [ 90.925506] ? __pfx_devlink_nl_eswitch_set_doit+0x10/0x10 [ 90.925766] ? __pfx_devlink_nl_post_doit+0x10/0x10 [ 90.926001] ? __pfx_genl_rcv_msg+0x10/0x10 [ 90.926206] netlink_rcv_skb+0x52/0x100 [ 90.926393] genl_rcv+0x28/0x40 [ 90.926557] netlink_unicast+0x27d/0x3d0 [ 90.926749] netlink_sendmsg+0x1f7/0x430 [ 90.926942] __sys_sendto+0x213/0x220 [ 90.927127] ? __sys_recvmsg+0x6a/0xd0 [ 90.927312] __x64_sys_sendto+0x24/0x30 [ 90.927504] do_syscall_64+0x50/0x1c0 [ 90.927687] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [ 90.927929] RIP: 0033:0x7f7d0363e047

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

Affected products & versions

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 6.12.9, < 6.12.81>= 6.13.1, < 6.18.22>= 6.19, < 6.19.12= 6.13= 7.0

CVSS breakdown

From the vector

Attack vector: Local
Complexity: Low
Privileges: Low
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Remediation

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.12.81 / 6.18.22 / 6.19.12 or later

Fixed in 6.12.816.18.226.19.12

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Kernel 6.12.81, 6.18.22, or 6.19.12 (depending on which branch is in use)

Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r'
Check if the running kernel version falls within the affected range: 6.12.9 to 6.12.80, 6.13.0 to 6.13.x, 6.13.1 to 6.18.21, or 6.19.0 to 6.19.11
Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.12.81 or higher for the 6.12.x branch, 6.18.22 or higher for the 6.18.x branch, or 6.19.12 or higher for the 6.19.x branch
Reboot the system to load the new kernel
Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming mlx5 driver loads without errors

Caveat Upgrading kernel versions may require rebooting and could have compatibility implications with third-party kernel modules; ensure all dependent modules are available for the target version

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-43012 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2026-43012?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here

Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data

At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 6.12.81 / 6.18.22 or later

Severity 5.5 Medium

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.1%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

Need this fixed?

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~9 hrs

ComplexityModerate

Typical engagementfrom $1,600

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

We specialise in CVE remediation. Send your environment and we’ll scope CVE-2026-43012 and return a fixed quote.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References