Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/sched: Abort...
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/sched: Abort __tc_modify_qdisc if parent class does not exist
Lion's patch [1] revealed an ancient bug in the qdisc API.
Whenever a user creates/modifies a qdisc specifying as a parent another
qdisc, the qdisc API will, during grafting, detect that the user is
not trying to attach to a class and reject. However grafting is
performed after qdisc_create (and thus the qdiscs' init callback) is
executed. In qdiscs that eventually call qdisc_tree_reduce_backlog
during init or change (such as fq, hhf, choke, etc), an issue
arises. For example, executing the following commands:
sudo tc qdisc add dev lo root handle a: htb default 2
sudo tc qdisc add dev lo parent a: handle beef fq
Qdiscs such as fq, hhf, choke, etc unconditionally invoke
qdisc_tree_reduce_backlog() in their control path init() or change() which
then causes a failure to find the child class; however, that does not stop
the unconditional invocation of the assumed child qdisc's qlen_notify with
a null class. All these qdiscs make the assumption that class is non-null.
The solution is ensure that qdisc_leaf() which looks up the parent
class, and is invoked prior to qdisc_create(), should return failure on
not finding the class.
In this patch, we leverage qdisc_leaf to return ERR_PTRs whenever the
parentid doesn't correspond to a class, so that we can detect it
earlier on and abort before qdisc_create is called.
Impact
CVE-2025-38457 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-2025-38457? CVE-2025-38457 is a medium-severity security vulnerability. No fixed version is listed yet.
- How severe is CVE-2025-38457? CVE-2025-38457 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-2025-38457? No fixed version is listed for CVE-2025-38457 yet. Monitor the advisory for updates and apply mitigations in the interim.
- Is CVE-2025-38457 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2025-38457 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-2025-38457 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.