CVE-2025-38735: gve: prevent ethtool ops after shutdown

Published Sep 5, 2025
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

gve: prevent ethtool ops after shutdown

A crash can occur if an ethtool operation is invoked after shutdown() is called.

shutdown() is invoked during system shutdown to stop DMA operations without performing expensive deallocations. It is discouraged to unregister the netdev in this path, so the device may still be visible to userspace and kernel helpers.

In gve, shutdown() tears down most internal data structures. If an ethtool operation is dispatched after shutdown(), it will dereference freed or NULL pointers, leading to a kernel panic. While graceful shutdown normally quiesces userspace before invoking the reboot syscall, forced shutdowns (as observed on GCP VMs) can still trigger this path.

Fix by calling netifdevicedetach() in shutdown(). This marks the device as detached so the ethtool ioctl handler will skip dispatching operations to the driver.

Affected Software

8 affected components
Linux Kernel
Linux Linux kernel>=5.17<6.1.149
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.103
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.12.44
Linux Linux kernel>=6.13<6.16.4
Linux Linux kernel=6.17-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.17-rc2
Debian Debian Linux=11.0

Event History

Sep 5, 2025
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:20 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:20 PM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:15 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2025-38735?

CVE-2025-38735 has a severity rating which indicates potential impact on system stability and security during shutdown processes.

2

How do I fix CVE-2025-38735?

To fix CVE-2025-38735, users should update to the latest version of the Linux kernel that addresses this vulnerability.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2025-38735?

CVE-2025-38735 affects the Linux kernel, particularly during the shutdown process involving ethtool operations.

4

What is the impact of CVE-2025-38735?

The impact of CVE-2025-38735 includes potential system crashes if ethtool operations are executed after the shutdown function.

5

Has CVE-2025-38735 been resolved?

Yes, CVE-2025-38735 has been resolved in updates to the Linux kernel.

Contact

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