CVE-2025-39905

HIGH

Linux Kernel < 6.16.8 - Race Condition in phylink_resolve

Title source: llm
STIX 2.1

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: phylink: add lock for serializing concurrent pl->phydev writes with resolver Currently phylink_resolve() protects itself against concurrent phylink_bringup_phy() or phylink_disconnect_phy() calls which modify pl->phydev by relying on pl->state_mutex. The problem is that in phylink_resolve(), pl->state_mutex is in a lock inversion state with pl->phydev->lock. So pl->phydev->lock needs to be acquired prior to pl->state_mutex. But that requires dereferencing pl->phydev in the first place, and without pl->state_mutex, that is racy. Hence the reason for the extra lock. Currently it is redundant, but it will serve a functional purpose once mutex_lock(&phy->lock) will be moved outside of the mutex_lock(&pl->state_mutex) section. Another alternative considered would have been to let phylink_resolve() acquire the rtnl_mutex, which is also held when phylink_bringup_phy() and phylink_disconnect_phy() are called. But since phylink_disconnect_phy() runs under rtnl_lock(), it would deadlock with phylink_resolve() when calling flush_work(&pl->resolve). Additionally, it would have been undesirable because it would have unnecessarily blocked many other call paths as well in the entire kernel, so the smaller-scoped lock was preferred.

Scores

CVSS v3 7.0
EPSS 0.0010
EPSS Percentile 1.1%
Attack Vector LOCAL
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CISA SSVC

Vulnrichment
Exploitation none
Automatable no
Technical Impact total

Details

CWE
CWE-362
Status published
Products (9)
linux/Kernel 6.14.0 - 6.16.8linux
Linux/Linux < 6.14
Linux/Linux 5fd0f1a02e750e2db4038dee60edea669ce5aab1 - 0ba5b2f2c381dbec9ed9e4ab3ae5d3e667de0dc3
Linux/Linux 5fd0f1a02e750e2db4038dee60edea669ce5aab1 - 56fe63b05ec84ae6674269d78397cec43a7a295a
Linux/Linux 6.14
Linux/Linux 6.16.8 - 6.16.*
Linux/Linux 6.17
linux/linux_kernel 6.17 rc1 (5 CPE variants)
linux/linux_kernel < 6.16.8
Published Oct 01, 2025
Tracked Since Feb 18, 2026