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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2026-53069

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2026-06-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.209 / 6.1.175 or later.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click 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: net, bpf: fix null-ptr-deref in xdp_master_redirect() for down master syzkaller reported a kernel panic in bond_rr_gen_slave_id() reached via xdp_master_redirect(). Full decoded trace: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=80e046b8da2820b6ba73 bond_rr_gen_slave_id() dereferences bond->rr_tx_counter, a per-CPU counter that bonding only allocates in bond_open() when the mode is round-robin. If the bond device was never brought up, rr_tx_counter stays NULL. The XDP redirect path can still reach that code on a bond that was never opened: bpf_master_redirect_enabled_key is a global static key, so as soon as any bond device has native XDP attached, the XDP_TX -> xdp_master_redirect() interception is enabled for every slave system-wide. The path xdp_master_redirect() -> bond_xdp_get_xmit_slave() -> bond_xdp_xmit_roundrobin_slave_get() -> bond_rr_gen_slave_id() then runs against a bond that has no rr_tx_counter and crashes. Fix this in the generic xdp_master_redirect() by refusing to call into the master's ->ndo_xdp_get_xmit_slave() when the master device is not up. IFF_UP is only set after ->ndo_open() has successfully returned, so this reliably excludes masters whose XDP state has not been fully initialized. Drop the frame with XDP_ABORTED so the exception is visible via trace_xdp_exception() rather than silently falling through. This is not specific to bonding: any current or future master that defers XDP state allocation to ->ndo_open() is protected.

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 · high confidence

A null pointer dereference in xdp_master_redirect() occurs when XDP redirect is enabled system-wide but targets a bond device that was never opened. The bond's rr_tx_counter is only allocated during bond_open() for round-robin mode, but the global bpf_master_redirect_enabled_key enables the XDP redirect path for all slaves once any bond has native XDP attached, leading to a kernel panic when accessing uninitialized state.

MitigationApply the kernel patch which adds an IFF_UP check in xdp_master_redirect() to refuse calling into the master's XDP functions when the master device is not up, dropping frames with XDP_ABORTED instead of crashing.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

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:>= 5.15, < 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

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
Network
Complexity
Low
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. List bond devices with XDP attached
    Run 'ip link' and look for 'xdp' in the output for bond interfaces, or use 'ip -j link show | jq -r '.[] | select(.link_type == "bond") | {name: .ifname, xdp: .xdp}'
    Affected if Any bond interface shows an XDP program attached (native or generic mode)
  2. Identify bonding mode of XDP-enabled bonds
    Check /sys/class/net/<bond_name>/bonding/mode - round-robin modes are 'balance-rr' (0) or 'active-backup' (1)
    Affected if The bond with XDP is in round-robin mode (balance-rr/active-backup)
  3. Check if bond device has been brought up
    Run 'ip link show <bond_name>' and check for 'state UP' or examine flags for IFF_UP; also check if /sys/class/net/<bond_name>/operstate is 'up'
    Affected if The bond has never been brought up (no IFF_UP flag set, or operstate is 'unknown'/'down' rather than 'up')
  4. Check kernel version for patch presence
    Run 'uname -r' to get kernel version; compare against the version that includes the IFF_UP check fix in xdp_master_redirect()
    Affected if Kernel version predates the fix containing the IFF_UP validation in XDP redirect path

User is affected if they have a bond device with native XDP attached, configured in round-robin mode, that has never been brought up (IFF_UP not set), running a kernel older than the fixed version.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to 5.15.209 / 6.1.175 / 6.6.141 or later
Fixed in 5.15.2096.1.1756.6.141
Interim mitigation

Apply the kernel patch which adds an IFF_UP check in xdp_master_redirect() to refuse calling into the master's XDP functions when the master device is not up, dropping frames with XDP_ABORTED instead of crashing.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation2.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,200
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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-2026-53069 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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