CVE-2025-37786
HIGHCVSS Vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Lifecycle Timeline
3Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: dsa: free routing table on probe failure If complete = true in dsa_tree_setup(), it means that we are the last switch of the tree which is successfully probing, and we should be setting up all switches from our probe path. After "complete" becomes true, dsa_tree_setup_cpu_ports() or any subsequent function may fail. If that happens, the entire tree setup is in limbo: the first N-1 switches have successfully finished probing (doing nothing but having allocated persistent memory in the tree's dst->ports, and maybe dst->rtable), and switch N failed to probe, ending the tree setup process before anything is tangible from the user's PoV. If switch N fails to probe, its memory (ports) will be freed and removed from dst->ports. However, the dst->rtable elements pointing to its ports, as created by dsa_link_touch(), will remain there, and will lead to use-after-free if dereferenced. If dsa_tree_setup_switches() returns -EPROBE_DEFER, which is entirely possible because that is where ds->ops->setup() is, we get a kasan report like this: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mv88e6xxx_setup_upstream_port+0x240/0x568 Read of size 8 at addr ffff000004f56020 by task kworker/u8:3/42 Call trace: __asan_report_load8_noabort+0x20/0x30 mv88e6xxx_setup_upstream_port+0x240/0x568 mv88e6xxx_setup+0xebc/0x1eb0 dsa_register_switch+0x1af4/0x2ae0 mv88e6xxx_register_switch+0x1b8/0x2a8 mv88e6xxx_probe+0xc4c/0xf60 mdio_probe+0x78/0xb8 really_probe+0x2b8/0x5a8 __driver_probe_device+0x164/0x298 driver_probe_device+0x78/0x258 __device_attach_driver+0x274/0x350 Allocated by task 42: __kasan_kmalloc+0x84/0xa0 __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x298/0x490 dsa_switch_touch_ports+0x174/0x3d8 dsa_register_switch+0x800/0x2ae0 mv88e6xxx_register_switch+0x1b8/0x2a8 mv88e6xxx_probe+0xc4c/0xf60 mdio_probe+0x78/0xb8 really_probe+0x2b8/0x5a8 __driver_probe_device+0x164/0x298 driver_probe_device+0x78/0x258 __device_attach_driver+0x274/0x350 Freed by task 42: __kasan_slab_free+0x48/0x68 kfree+0x138/0x418 dsa_register_switch+0x2694/0x2ae0 mv88e6xxx_register_switch+0x1b8/0x2a8 mv88e6xxx_probe+0xc4c/0xf60 mdio_probe+0x78/0xb8 really_probe+0x2b8/0x5a8 __driver_probe_device+0x164/0x298 driver_probe_device+0x78/0x258 __device_attach_driver+0x274/0x350 The simplest way to fix the bug is to delete the routing table in its entirety. dsa_tree_setup_routing_table() has no problem in regenerating it even if we deleted links between ports other than those of switch N, because dsa_link_touch() first checks whether the port pair already exists in dst->rtable, allocating if not. The deletion of the routing table in its entirety already exists in dsa_tree_teardown(), so refactor that into a function that can also be called from the tree setup error path. In my analysis of the commit to blame, it is the one which added dsa_link elements to dst->rtable. Prior to that, each switch had its own ds->rtable which is freed when the switch fails to probe. But the tree is potentially persistent memory.
Analysis
A use-after-free vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's DSA (Distributed Switch Architecture) networking subsystem that can lead to memory corruption and system crashes. The vulnerability occurs when DSA switch probing fails after partial tree setup, leaving dangling pointers in the routing table that reference freed memory. An attacker with local access and low privileges can exploit this vulnerability to potentially execute arbitrary code, cause denial of service, or access sensitive kernel memory.
Technical Context
The vulnerability affects the Linux kernel's DSA subsystem, which manages multi-switch Ethernet architectures commonly found in embedded systems and network equipment. According to the CPE data, Linux kernel versions from 4.19 through 6.15-rc2 are affected (cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*). The issue is classified as CWE-416 (Use After Free), where memory is accessed after being deallocated. When the last switch in a DSA tree fails to probe completely, previously allocated routing table entries (dst->rtable) retain pointers to freed port structures, creating the use-after-free condition detected by KASAN (Kernel Address Sanitizer) in the Marvell mv88e6xxx driver stack trace.
Affected Products
Linux kernel versions from 4.19.x through 6.14.x and 6.15 release candidates (rc1 and rc2) are affected by this vulnerability. The specific CPE identifiers include cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* with version ranges 4.19-6.14 and cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* and cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.15:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:*. The vulnerability primarily impacts systems using DSA-compatible Ethernet switches, particularly those using Marvell mv88e6xxx series switches as evidenced by the crash trace.
Remediation
Apply the kernel patches available from kernel.org git repositories, with specific patch commits 51df5513cca6349d0bea01bab95cd96cf869976e for kernel 6.14, 5c8066fbdb9653c6e9a224bdcd8f9c91a484f0de for 6.13, and additional patches for other stable branches as listed in the references. Systems should be updated to kernel versions 4.19.327, 5.4.289, 5.10.231, 5.15.174, 6.1.120, 6.6.65, 6.12.8, 6.13-rc4, or newer depending on the branch in use. For systems that cannot be immediately patched, minimize the risk by avoiding DSA switch hot-plug operations and ensuring stable switch initialization during boot.
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