bridge: mcast: Fix use-after-free during router port configuration
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Code execution
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- High · High · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 32 fixed, 2 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-416 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bridge: mcast: Fix use-after-free during router port configuration The bridge maintains a global list of ports behind which a multicast router resides. The list is consulted during forwarding to ensure multicast packets are forwarded to these ports even if the ports are not member in the matching MDB entry. When per-VLAN multicast snooping is enabled, the per-port multicast context is disabled on each port and the port is removed from the global router port list: # ip link add name br1 up type bridge vlan_filtering 1 mcast_snooping 1 # ip link add name dummy1 up master br1 type dummy # ip link set dev dummy1 type bridge_slave mcast_router 2 $ bridge -d mdb show | grep router router ports on br1: dummy1 # ip link set dev br1 type bridge mcast_vlan_snooping 1 $ bridge -d mdb show | grep router However, the port can be re-added to the global list even when per-VLAN multicast snooping is enabled: # ip link set dev dummy1 type bridge_slave mcast_router 0 # ip link set dev dummy1 type bridge_slave mcast_router 2 $ bridge -d mdb show | grep router router ports on br1: dummy1 Since commit 4b30ae9adb04 ("net: bridge: mcast: re-implement br_multicast_{enable, disable}_port functions"), when per-VLAN multicast snooping is enabled, multicast disablement on a port will disable the per-{port, VLAN} multicast contexts and not the per-port one. As a result, a port will remain in the global router port list even after it is deleted. This will lead to a use-after-free [1] when the list is traversed (when adding a new port to the list, for example): # ip link del dev dummy1 # ip link add name dummy2 up master br1 type dummy # ip link set dev dummy2 type bridge_slave mcast_router 2 Similarly, stale entries can also be found in the per-VLAN router port list. When per-VLAN multicast snooping is disabled, the per-{port, VLAN} contexts are disabled on each port and the port is removed from the per-VLAN router port list: # ip link add name br1 up type bridge vlan_filtering 1 mcast_snooping 1 mcast_vlan_snooping 1 # ip link add name dummy1 up master br1 type dummy # bridge vlan add vid 2 dev dummy1 # bridge vlan global set vid 2 dev br1 mcast_snooping 1 # bridge vlan set vid 2 dev dummy1 mcast_router 2 $ bridge vlan global show dev br1 vid 2 | grep router router ports: dummy1 # ip link set dev br1 type bridge mcast_vlan_snooping 0 $ bridge vlan global show dev br1 vid 2 | grep router However, the port can be re-added to the per-VLAN list even when per-VLAN multicast snooping is disabled: # bridge vlan set vid 2 dev dummy1 mcast_router 0 # bridge vlan set vid 2 dev dummy1 mcast_router 2 $ bridge vlan global show dev br1 vid 2 | grep router router ports: dummy1 When the VLAN is deleted from the port, the per-{port, VLAN} multicast context will not be disabled since multicast snooping is not enabled on the VLAN. As a result, the port will remain in the per-VLAN router port list even after it is no longer member in the VLAN. This will lead to a use-after-free [2] when the list is traversed (when adding a new port to the list, for example): # ip link add name dummy2 up master br1 type dummy # bridge vlan add vid 2 dev dummy2 # bridge vlan del vid 2 dev dummy1 # bridge vlan set vid 2 dev dummy2 mcast_router 2 Fix these issues by removing the port from the relevant (global or per-VLAN) router port list in br_multicast_port_ctx_deinit(). The function is invoked during port deletion with the per-port multicast context and during VLAN deletion with the per-{port, VLAN} multicast context. Note that deleting the multicast router timer is not enough as it only takes care of the temporary multicast router states (1 or 3) and not the permanent one (2). [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in br_multicast_add_router.part.0+0x3f1/0x560 Write of size 8 at addr ffff888004a67328 by task ip/384 [...] Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack ---truncated---
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Total
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 5.15 and later | 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.122, 6.12.67, 6.15.5, 6.16 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 5.15 and later Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.122, 6.12.67, 6.15.5, 6.16 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 4
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 5.15 to before 6.15.5 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc2 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.16 rc3 | Vulnerable | Linux |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 5.15 to before 6.15.5 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc2 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.16:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.16 rc3 Vulnerable ·Linux
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 5.15.224, 6.1.191, 6.6.122, 6.12.67, 6.15.5, 6.16
Red Hat 11 advisories
- RHSA-2026:9644 Released 2026-04-22 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.2) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-284.166.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-284.166.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-284.166.1.el9_2 +10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.2) bpftool-7.0.0-284.166.1.el9_2, kernel-5.14.0-284.166.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-5.14.0-284.166.1.el9_2 +29
- RHSA-2026:9512 Released 2026-04-22 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV E4S (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.166.1.rt14.451.el9_2 +11
- RHSA-2026:7100 Released 2026-04-08 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV E4S (v.9.0) kernel-rt-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.0) kernel-rt-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-70.173.1.rt21.245.el9_0 +7
Show 8 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2026:7013 Released 2026-04-08 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.0) kernel-debug-devel-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0, kernel-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0, kernel-devel-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0 +5
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.0) bpftool-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0, kernel-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0, kernel-abi-stablelists-5.14.0-70.173.1.el9_0 +14
- RHSA-2026:6961 Released 2026-04-08 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS AUS (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6 +14
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.187.1.el8_6 +14
- RHSA-2026:6954 Released 2026-04-08 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.8) bpftool-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8, kernel-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8 +14
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.8) bpftool-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8, kernel-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-477.135.1.el8_8 +14
- RHSA-2026:6193 Released 2026-03-30 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-64k-debug-devel-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-devel-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-64k-core-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-tools-libs-devel-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, libperf-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-64k-core-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) kernel-rt-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-core-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0, kernel-rt-debug-6.12.0-55.65.1.el10_0 +11
- RHSA-2026:5692 Released 2026-03-25 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) bpftool-7.3.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.116.1.el9_4 +11
- RHSA-2026:5197 Released 2026-03-23 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.6) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, libperf-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6 +12
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.6) kernel-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-64k-core-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6 +28
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.6) kernel-rt-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-64k-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-64k-core-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6 +21
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.6) kernel-rt-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-570.100.1.el9_6 +11
- RHSA-2026:3110 Released 2026-02-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.107.1.rt7.448.el8_10 +7
- RHSA-2026:3083 Released 2026-02-23 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.107.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.107.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.107.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.107.1.el8_10
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5692 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5197 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7013 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream E4S (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:9644 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6193 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5692 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5197 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:3083 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS AUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6961 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6961 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6954 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7013 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:9644 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6193 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5692 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5197 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6961 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6954 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:3083 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6193 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:3110 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV E4S (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7100 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:3110 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:7100 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time E4S (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:9512 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6193 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5692 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5197 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV E4S (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:9512 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v. 10.0) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:6193 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5692 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2026:5197 |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38248
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-2838-84rj-32xc
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/[email protected], Linux/Linux@5df2d582f6e8a81e7ab066464845b38b2fb04094, Linux/[email protected] +1 · CNA
- 2026-10-30 2 new references · CNA
References
Patch 4
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Sources
- CVE-2025-38248 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-38248 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-2838-84rj-32xc · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-38248 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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