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CVE-2025-38468
published 2025-07-28

CVE-2025-38468: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: Return NULL when htb_lookup_leaf encounters an empty rbtree htb_lookup_leaf has…

medium5.5CVSS 3.1
AVLACLPRLUINSUCNINAH
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: Return NULL when htb_lookup_leaf encounters an empty rbtree htb_lookup_leaf has a BUG_ON that can trigger with the following: tc qdisc del dev lo root tc qdisc add dev lo root handle 1: htb default 1 tc class add dev lo parent 1: classid 1:1 htb rate 64bit tc qdisc add dev lo parent 1:1 handle 2: netem tc qdisc add dev lo parent 2:1 handle 3: blackhole ping -I lo -c1 -W0.001 127.0.0.1 The root cause is the following: 1. htb_dequeue calls htb_dequeue_tree which calls the dequeue handler on the selected leaf qdisc 2. netem_dequeue calls enqueue on the child qdisc 3. blackhole_enqueue drops the packet and returns a value that is not just NET_XMIT_SUCCESS 4. Because of this, netem_dequeue calls qdisc_tree_reduce_backlog, and since qlen is now 0, it calls htb_qlen_notify -> htb_deactivate -> htb_deactiviate_prios -> htb_remove_class_from_row -> htb_safe_rb_erase 5. As this is the only class in the selected hprio rbtree, __rb_change_child in __rb_erase_augmented sets the rb_root pointer to NULL 6. Because blackhole_dequeue returns NULL, netem_dequeue returns NULL, which causes htb_dequeue_tree to call htb_lookup_leaf with the same hprio rbtree, and fail the BUG_ON The function graph for this scenario is shown here: 0) | htb_enqueue() { 0) + 13.635 us | netem_enqueue(); 0) 4.719 us | htb_activate_prios(); 0) # 2249.199 us | } 0) | htb_dequeue() { 0) 2.355 us | htb_lookup_leaf(); 0) | netem_dequeue() { 0) + 11.061 us | blackhole_enqueue(); 0) | qdisc_tree_reduce_backlog() { 0) | qdisc_lookup_rcu() { 0) 1.873 us | qdisc_match_from_root(); 0) 6.292 us | } 0) 1.894 us | htb_search(); 0) | htb_qlen_notify() { 0) 2.655 us | htb_deactivate_prios(); 0) 6.933 us | } 0) + 25.227 us | } 0) 1.983 us | blackhole_dequeue(); 0) + 86.553 us | } 0) # 2932.761 us | qdisc_warn_nonwc(); 0) | htb_lookup_leaf() { 0) | BUG_ON(); The full original bug report can be seen here [1]. We can fix this just by returni

Affected

38 ranges· showing 25
VendorProductVersion rangeFixed in
debiandebian_linux
debianlinux< linux 6.1.147-1 (bookworm)linux 6.1.147-1 (bookworm)
debianlinux-6.1< linux 6.1.147-1 (bookworm)linux 6.1.147-1 (bookworm)
linuxlinux
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < fed3570e548a6c9f95c5f4c9e1a7afc1679fd90dfed3570e548a6c9f95c5f4c9e1a7afc1679fd90d
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 5c0506cd1b1a3b145bda2612bbf7fe78d186c3555c0506cd1b1a3b145bda2612bbf7fe78d186c355
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 850226aef8d28a00cf966ef26d2f8f2bff344535850226aef8d28a00cf966ef26d2f8f2bff344535
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 890a5d423ef0a7bd13447ceaffad21189f557301890a5d423ef0a7bd13447ceaffad21189f557301
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 7ff2d83ecf2619060f30ecf9fad4f2a700fca3447ff2d83ecf2619060f30ecf9fad4f2a700fca344
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < e5c480dc62a3025b8428d4818e722da30ad6804fe5c480dc62a3025b8428d4818e722da30ad6804f
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 3691f84269a23f7edd263e9b6edbc27b7ae332f43691f84269a23f7edd263e9b6edbc27b7ae332f4
linuxlinux>= 512bb43eb5422ee69a1be05ea0d89dc074fac9a2 < 0e1d5d9b5c5966e2e42e298670808590db5ed6280e1d5d9b5c5966e2e42e298670808590db5ed628
linuxlinux_kernel
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 5.10.244-15.10.244-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.1.147-16.1.147-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.12.41-16.12.41-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.16.3-16.16.3-1
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 5.15.0-163.1735.15.0-163.173
linuxlinux_kernel>= 0 < 6.8.0-100.1006.8.0-100.100
linuxlinux_kernel>= 2.6.29 < 5.4.2975.4.297
linuxlinux_kernel>= 5.11 < 5.15.1905.15.190
linuxlinux_kernel>= 5.16 < 6.1.1476.1.147
linuxlinux_kernel>= 5.5 < 5.10.2415.10.241
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.13 < 6.15.86.15.8
linuxlinux_kernel>= 6.2 < 6.6.1006.6.100

CVSS provenance

nvdv3.15.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
osv5.5MEDIUM
CVE-2025-38468 — NULL Pointer Dereference in Linux | cvebase