CVE-2025-39922
📋 TL;DR
A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ixgbe network driver allows incorrect memory access when handling Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) link modes. This affects systems using Intel 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters with the ixgbe driver. The vulnerability could lead to kernel crashes or potential privilege escalation.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with ixgbe driver
📦 What is this software?
Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →Linux Kernel by Linux
The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...
Learn more about Linux Kernel →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
Kernel panic leading to system crash, or potential privilege escalation to kernel mode if combined with other vulnerabilities.
Likely Case
System instability, kernel crashes, or denial of service affecting network connectivity.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if system has proper memory protection mechanisms and the exploit doesn't achieve code execution.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires local access or network access to trigger the EEE link mode handling. The out-of-bounds access could potentially be leveraged for further exploitation.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 129c1cb8a081a02d99267cb51708f1326395f4e8, 682105ab63826fb7ca7c112b42b478d156fbb19f, b7e5c3e3bfa9dc8af75ff6d8633ad7070e1985e4
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/129c1cb8a081a02d99267cb51708f1326395f4e8
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to a patched Linux kernel version from your distribution. 2. Reboot the system to load the new kernel. 3. Verify the kernel version after reboot.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable Energy Efficient Ethernet
linuxDisable EEE feature on affected network interfaces to prevent triggering the vulnerable code path.
ethtool --set-eee eth0 eee off
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Disable EEE on all affected network interfaces using ethtool
- Restrict access to affected systems and monitor for kernel crashes or instability
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if ixgbe driver is loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep ixgbe'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version is updated and check dmesg for ixgbe driver loading without errors📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- ixgbe driver errors in dmesg
- System crashes or reboots
Network Indicators:
- Network interface instability
- EEE negotiation failures
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "ixgbe" OR "out of bounds")