Skip to content
Noroxi
CVE-2025-68245· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

net: netpoll: fix incorrect refcount handling causing incorrect cleanup

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 0/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.20% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 49c8d2c1f94cc2f4d1a108530d7ba52614b874c2, 4afd4ebbad52aa146838ec23082ba393e426a2bb, 890472d6fbf062e6de7fdd56642cb305ab79d669.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 49c8d2c1f94cc2f4d1a108530d7ba52614b874c2, 4afd4ebbad52aa146838ec23082ba393e426a2bb, 890472d6fbf062e6de7fdd56642cb305ab79d669 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: netpoll: fix incorrect refcount handling causing incorrect cleanup commit efa95b01da18 ("netpoll: fix use after free") incorrectly ignored the refcount and prematurely set dev->npinfo to NULL during netpoll cleanup, leading to improper behavior and memory leaks. Scenario causing lack of proper cleanup: 1) A netpoll is associated with a NIC (e.g., eth0) and netdev->npinfo is allocated, and refcnt = 1 - Keep in mind that npinfo is shared among all netpoll instances. In this case, there is just one. 2) Another netpoll is also associated with the same NIC and npinfo->refcnt += 1. - Now dev->npinfo->refcnt = 2; - There is just one npinfo associated to the netdev. 3) When the first netpolls goes to clean up: - The first cleanup succeeds and clears np->dev->npinfo, ignoring refcnt. - It basically calls `RCU_INIT_POINTER(np->dev->npinfo, NULL);` - Set dev->npinfo = NULL, without proper cleanup - No ->ndo_netpoll_cleanup() is either called 4) Now the second target tries to clean up - The second cleanup fails because np->dev->npinfo is already NULL. * In this case, ops->ndo_netpoll_cleanup() was never called, and the skb pool is not cleaned as well (for the second netpoll instance) - This leaks npinfo and skbpool skbs, which is clearly reported by kmemleak. Revert commit efa95b01da18 ("netpoll: fix use after free") and adds clarifying comments emphasizing that npinfo cleanup should only happen once the refcount reaches zero, ensuring stable and correct netpoll behavior.

—No exploit Fix available
Published
Dec 16, 2025
Updated
Oct 14, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 9th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

0

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
0 / 40 · —
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-68245

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

One daily email digest (06:00 UTC); connect a webhook for KEV listings and weaponized exploits instantly.

Your free account also gets you

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

  • Stack alerts: add the products and versions you run, get the new CVEs that affect them
  • Uptime monitoring: 1 site, instant email when it goes down
  • Add your domain: subdomains and takeover risk scanned every week (1 domain)
  • 10 scans an hour on the security tools (3 a day without an account), an API key and MCP
  • All your scans in one panel: findings, what changed in the last scan, a report per domain or per client (PDF, share link)
All free tools

Sign up with email · Have an account? Sign in

Free account, no card. Unfollow any time.

Don't want an account? Get "Exploited this week" by email every MondayDon't want an account? RSS feed for linux records

Running WordPress? Scan your site free with WP Lens

Is your version affected? Check it

Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

We use this product, ask for help

Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

—

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 3.17affected
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 8e6a50edad11e3e1426e4c29e7aa6201f3468ac2affected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 9b0bb18b4b9dc017c1825a2c5e763615e34a1593affected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 890472d6fbf062e6de7fdd56642cb305ab79d669affected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 4afd4ebbad52aa146838ec23082ba393e426a2bbaffected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before c645693180a98606c430825223d2029315d85e9daffected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before c79a6d9da29219616b118a3adce9a14cd30f9bd0affected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 9a51b5ccd1c79afec1c03a4e1e6688da52597556affected · git
    • efa95b01da18ad22af62f6d99a3243f3be8fd264 and later · before 49c8d2c1f94cc2f4d1a108530d7ba52614b874c2affected · git
    • before 3.17not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.159-16.1.159-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.63-16.12.63-1
Debian:14linuxbefore 6.17.9-16.17.9-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-74705udp: fix potential use-after-free in tunnel segmentation
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74612veth: fix skb length accounting after XDP frag adjustment
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74475vxlan: use neigh_ha_snapshot() in route_shortcircuit()
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74279crypto: cavium/cpt - fix DMA cleanup using wrong loop index
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-72421ipv4: fib: Don't ignore error route in local/main tables.
    40Plan
  • CVE-2026-74309vdpa/octeon_ep: fix IRQ-to-ring mapping in interrupt handler
    40Plan

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux49c8d2c1f94cc2f4d1a108530d7ba52614b874c2Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux4afd4ebbad52aa146838ec23082ba393e426a2bbVendor (CNA)
Linux Linux890472d6fbf062e6de7fdd56642cb305ab79d669Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux8e6a50edad11e3e1426e4c29e7aa6201f3468ac2Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux9a51b5ccd1c79afec1c03a4e1e6688da52597556Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux9b0bb18b4b9dc017c1825a2c5e763615e34a1593Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxc645693180a98606c430825223d2029315d85e9dVendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxc79a6d9da29219616b118a3adce9a14cd30f9bd0Vendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.159-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

No CVSS vector for this record, so attack conditions can't be derived.

Weakness class (CWE)

—

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Show all references (7 more)

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records