Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-52925

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.10.258 / 5.15.209 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available 8 weeks old

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.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: vrf: Fix a potential NPD when removing a port from a VRF RCU readers that identified a net device as a VRF port using netif_is_l3_slave() assume that a subsequent call to netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu() will return a VRF device. They then continue to dereference its l3mdev operations. This assumption is not always correct and can result in a NPD [1]. There is no RCU synchronization when removing a port from a VRF, so it is possible for an RCU reader to see a new master device (e.g., a bridge) that does not have l3mdev operations. Fix by adding RCU synchronization after clearing the IFF_L3MDEV_SLAVE flag. Skip this synchronization when a net device is removed from a VRF as part of its deletion and when the VRF device itself is deleted. In the latter case an RCU grace period will pass by the time RTNL is released. [1] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 [...] RIP: 0010:l3mdev_fib_table_rcu (net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:181) [...] Call Trace: <TASK> l3mdev_fib_table_by_index (net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:201 net/l3mdev/l3mdev.c:189) __inet_bind (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:499 (discriminator 3)) inet_bind_sk (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:469) __sys_bind (./include/linux/file.h:62 (discriminator 1) ./include/linux/file.h:83 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1951 (discriminator 1)) __x64_sys_bind (net/socket.c:1969 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1967 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:1967 (discriminator 1)) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 (discriminator 1) arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 (discriminator 1)) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130)

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.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

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.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 4.12, < 5.10.258>= 5.11, < 5.15.209>= 5.16, < 6.1.175>= 6.2, < 6.6.141>= 6.7, < 6.12.91>= 6.13, < 6.18.33>= 6.19, < 7.0.10= 7.1

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.

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 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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.10.258 / 5.15.209 / 6.1.175 or later
Fixed in 5.10.2585.15.2096.1.175
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

5.10.258, 5.15.209, 6.1.175, or 6.6.141 (depending on which version branch you are on)

  1. Identify your current kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Determine which version branch your kernel belongs to (4.12-5.10.x, 5.11-5.15.x, 5.16-6.1.x, or 6.2-6.6.x)
  3. For kernels 4.12 <= version < 5.10.258: upgrade to 5.10.258 or later
  4. For kernels 5.11 <= version < 5.15.209: upgrade to 5.15.209 or later
  5. For kernels 5.16 <= version < 6.1.175: upgrade to 6.1.175 or later
  6. For kernels 6.2 <= version < 6.6.141: upgrade to 6.6.141 or later
  7. Verify the fix commit 2674d603a9e6970463b2b9ebcf8e31e90beae169 is included in your new kernel version
  8. Reboot into the upgraded kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel modules and could introduce compatibility changes with userspace tools; ensure dependent packages are also updated

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 $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-52925 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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