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VulnerabilityPublished Updated

CVE-2025-38551: Linux kernel · virtio-net: fix recursived rtnl_lock() during probe()

Source GCVE Database

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Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.

Data as of 13 Nov 2026, 20:07 UTC

CVSS 3.1 base score
5.5Medium
How severe the flaw is on the 0–10 CVSS scale.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Exploitation evidence

  1. Disclosed: evidence found.

    CVE published 16 Aug 2025

  2. Detectable: no evidence on record.

    No public nuclei template indexed

  3. Weaponized: no evidence on record.

    No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB

  4. Exploited in the wild: no evidence on record.

    Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation

  5. Observed by OffSeq Mirage: no evidence on record.

    No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 13 Nov 2026.

What to do

AI-suggested

Until a fix is available, avoid sending VIRTIO_NET_S_ANNOUNCE requests while the virtio-net driver is still probing to prevent triggering the deadlock.

Description

CVE-2025-38551 is a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel's virtio-net driver. It involves a deadlock caused by recursive rtnl_lock() calls during the driver's probe process. This deadlock occurs if the virtual machine monitor (VMM) sends a VIRTIO_NET_S_ANNOUNCE request while the driver is still initializing. The issue leads to an availability impact due to the deadlock condition.

References

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