CVE-2026-64125: net: bcmgenet: keep RBUF EEE/PM disabled
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: bcmgenet: keep RBUF EEE/PM disabled
Setting RBUFEEEEN | RBUFPMEN in RBUFENERGYCTRL breaks the RX path on GENET hardware once MAC EEE becomes active. RX traffic stops flowing while the link stays up and the usual descriptor/RX error counters remain quiet. In that state the MAC still accepts frames (rbufovflowcnt keeps climbing) but RBUF no longer forwards them to DMA, so rxpackets is no longer incremented at the netdev level. On some boards the corruption ends up as a paging fault in skbreleasedata via bcmgenetrxpoll on an LPI exit.
Reproduced on Pi 4B (BCM2711 + BCM54213PE) and confirmed by Florian Fainelli on an internal Broadcom 4908-family board with the same crash signature. RBUFPMEN is not publicly documented.
This shows up more often now that physupporteee() enables EEE by default, but it also affects older kernels as soon as TX LPI is turned on via ethtool, so it is not specific to recent changes.
Always clear RBUFEEEEN | RBUFPMEN in bcmgeneteeeenableset so the bits stay off across resets. UMAC and TBUF setup is left alone so TX-side EEE keeps working.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Configuration
Ensure bcmgenet_eee_enable_set always clears RBUF_EEE_EN and RBUF_PM_EN so MAC EEE/PM stays disabled for the RX buffer; this prevents RX traffic stopping and related overflow/corruption where RX forwarding ceases while TX-side EEE may continue working.
Linux kernel: bcmgenet (net: bcmgenet) RBUF_EEE_EN | RBUF_PM_EN = 0 (clear/disable)
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2026-64125?
The severity of CVE-2026-64125 is critical, with a CVSS score of 9.8.
How do I fix CVE-2026-64125?
To fix CVE-2026-64125, ensure that RBUF_EEE_EN and RBUF_PM_EN are disabled in RBUF_ENERGY_CTRL.
What systems are affected by CVE-2026-64125?
CVE-2026-64125 affects the Linux kernel, particularly the GENET hardware.
What type of vulnerability is CVE-2026-64125?
CVE-2026-64125 is a networking vulnerability that disrupts RX traffic flow when MAC EEE becomes active.
When was CVE-2026-64125 published?
CVE-2026-64125 was published on July 19, 2026.