Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Disable MACsec...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/mlx5e: Disable MACsec offload for uplink representor profile
MACsec offload is not supported in switchdev mode for uplink
representors. When switching to the uplink representor profile, the
MACsec offload feature must be cleared from the netdevice's features.
If left enabled, attempts to add offloads result in a null pointer
dereference, as the uplink representor does not support MACsec offload
even though the feature bit remains set.
Clear NETIF_F_HW_MACSEC in mlx5e_fix_uplink_rep_features().
Kernel log:
Oops: general protection fault, probably for non-canonical address 0xdffffc000000000f: 0000 [#1] SMP KASAN
KASAN: null-ptr-deref in range [0x0000000000000078-0x000000000000007f]
CPU: 29 UID: 0 PID: 4714 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.14.0-rc4_for_upstream_debug_2025_03_02_17_35 #1
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:__mutex_lock+0x128/0x1dd0
Code: d0 7c 08 84 d2 0f 85 ad 15 00 00 8b 35 91 5c fe 03 85 f6 75 29 49 8d 7e 60 48 b8 00 00 00 00 00 fc ff df 48 89 fa 48 c1 ea 03 <80> 3c 02 00 0f 85 a6 15 00 00 4d 3b 76 60 0f 85 fd 0b 00 00 65 ff
RSP: 0018:ffff888147a4f160 EFLAGS: 00010206
RAX: dffffc0000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 0000000000000001
RDX: 000000000000000f RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: 0000000000000078
RBP: ffff888147a4f2e0 R08: ffffffffa05d2c19 R09: 0000000000000000
R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 0000000000000000
R13: dffffc0000000000 R14: 0000000000000018 R15: ffff888152de0000
FS: 00007f855e27d800(0000) GS:ffff88881ee80000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00000000004e5768 CR3: 000000013ae7c005 CR4: 0000000000372eb0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe07f0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
? die_addr+0x3d/0xa0
? exc_general_protection+0x144/0x220
? asm_exc_general_protection+0x22/0x30
? mlx5e_macsec_add_secy+0xf9/0x700 [mlx5_core]
? __mutex_lock+0x128/0x1dd0
? lockdep_set_lock_cmp_fn+0x190/0x190
? mlx5e_macsec_add_secy+0xf9/0x700 [mlx5_core]
? mutex_lock_io_nested+0x1ae0/0x1ae0
? lock_acquire+0x1c2/0x530
? macsec_upd_offload+0x145/0x380
? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x400/0x400
? kasan_save_stack+0x30/0x40
? kasan_save_stack+0x20/0x40
? kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30
? __kasan_kmalloc+0x77/0x90
? __kmalloc_noprof+0x249/0x6b0
? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.constprop.0+0xb5/0x240
? mlx5e_macsec_add_secy+0xf9/0x700 [mlx5_core]
mlx5e_macsec_add_secy+0xf9/0x700 [mlx5_core]
? mlx5e_macsec_add_rxsa+0x11a0/0x11a0 [mlx5_core]
macsec_update_offload+0x26c/0x820
? macsec_set_mac_address+0x4b0/0x4b0
? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x284/0x400
? _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x47/0x50
macsec_upd_offload+0x2c8/0x380
? macsec_update_offload+0x820/0x820
? __nla_parse+0x22/0x30
? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.constprop.0+0x15e/0x240
genl_family_rcv_msg_doit+0x1cc/0x2a0
? genl_family_rcv_msg_attrs_parse.constprop.0+0x240/0x240
? cap_capable+0xd4/0x330
genl_rcv_msg+0x3ea/0x670
? genl_family_rcv_msg_dumpit+0x2a0/0x2a0
? lockdep_set_lock_cmp_fn+0x190/0x190
? macsec_update_offload+0x820/0x820
netlink_rcv_skb+0x12b/0x390
? genl_family_rcv_msg_dumpit+0x2a0/0x2a0
? netlink_ack+0xd80/0xd80
? rwsem_down_read_slowpath+0xf90/0xf90
? netlink_deliver_tap+0xcd/0xac0
? netlink_deliver_tap+0x155/0xac0
? _copy_from_iter+0x1bb/0x12c0
genl_rcv+0x24/0x40
netlink_unicast+0x440/0x700
? netlink_attachskb+0x760/0x760
? lock_acquire+0x1c2/0x530
? __might_fault+0xbb/0x170
netlink_sendmsg+0x749/0xc10
? netlink_unicast+0x700/0x700
? __might_fault+0xbb/0x170
? netlink_unicast+0x700/0x700
__sock_sendmsg+0xc5/0x190
____sys_sendmsg+0x53f/0x760
? import_iovec+0x7/0x10
? kernel_sendmsg+0x30/0x30
? __copy_msghdr+0x3c0/0x3c0
? filter_irq_stacks+0x90/0x90
? stack_depot_save_flags+0x28/0xa30
___sys_sen
---truncated---
Impact
The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash. Typical impact: denial of service via crash.
CVE-2025-38020 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). The vector is requires local access, low privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. No fixed version is listed yet, so configuration controls and monitoring matter more in the interim.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2025-38020? CVE-2025-38020 is a medium-severity null pointer dereference vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet. The application dereferences a null pointer, causing a crash.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38020? CVE-2025-38020 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (Medium). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2025-38020? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38020 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38020 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38020 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2025-38020 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.