CVE-2025-22105 is a vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel related to the bonding network driver and its interaction with eXpress Data Path (XDP) programs. The issue arises when a bond device is configured with an XDP program attached, and subsequently, the bond mode is changed to a mode that does not support native XDP, such as the broadcast mode. Specifically, the vulnerability manifests during network namespace operations involving creation and deletion, where the sequence of commands adds a bonded interface with a specific mode, attaches an XDP program, changes the bond mode to an unsupported type, and then deletes the namespace. During the deletion, the kernel calls dev_xdp_uninstall() to remove the XDP program from the bond device, and bond_xdp_set() checks the bond mode. If the bond mode was changed after attaching the XDP program, a warning is triggered, leading to a kernel warning and potentially a kernel panic or crash due to improper handling of the bond mode and XDP program state. The root cause is the lack of validation when changing bond modes while an XDP program is attached, which can lead to inconsistent state and kernel warnings. The vulnerability is demonstrated by a kernel warning trace indicating a failure in unregister_netdevice_many_notify(), which is part of the network device cleanup process. This issue affects Linux kernel version 6.14.0-rc4 and likely other versions with similar bonding and XDP code paths. No known exploits are reported in the wild, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The vulnerability is primarily a stability and reliability issue that could cause denial of service through kernel crashes or warnings during network namespace cleanup involving bonded interfaces with XDP programs.

For European organizations, this vulnerability could impact systems that utilize Linux kernel bonding interfaces combined with XDP programs, particularly in environments using network namespaces such as containerized or virtualized infrastructures. The potential impact includes system instability or denial of service due to kernel warnings or crashes triggered during network namespace deletion or bond mode changes. This could disrupt network connectivity, degrade service availability, and affect critical infrastructure relying on bonded network interfaces for redundancy and performance. Organizations running high-performance network applications, telecom infrastructure, cloud service providers, and data centers using Linux-based networking stacks are at risk. Although no direct remote code execution or privilege escalation is indicated, the denial of service impact on network infrastructure could have cascading effects on business continuity and operational reliability. The impact is more pronounced in environments with dynamic network configurations and heavy use of XDP for packet processing acceleration.

To mitigate this vulnerability, organizations should: 1) Apply the latest Linux kernel patches that include the fix for CVE-2025-22105 as soon as they become available, ensuring that bond mode changes are properly validated when XDP programs are attached. 2) Avoid changing bond modes on interfaces with active XDP programs attached until patches are applied. 3) Implement operational controls to monitor and restrict network namespace and bond interface configuration changes, especially in automated orchestration systems. 4) Test network namespace and bonding configurations in staging environments to detect potential kernel warnings or crashes before deployment. 5) Consider disabling XDP programs on bonded interfaces if bond mode changes are required frequently and patching is delayed. 6) Maintain robust system monitoring and alerting for kernel warnings related to network devices to enable rapid detection and response to potential instability. 7) Collaborate with Linux distribution vendors to ensure timely updates and backports for affected kernel versions used in production.