CVE-2025-39908: linux kernel vulnerability

What is known

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: dev_ioctl: take ops lock in hwtstamp lower paths ndo hwtstamp callbacks are expected to run under the per-device ops lock. Make the lower get/set paths consistent with the rest of ndo invocations. Kernel log: WARNING: CPU: 13 PID: 51364 at ./include/net/netdev_lock.h:70 __netdev_update_features+0x4bd/0xe60 ... RIP: 0010:__netdev_update_features+0x4bd/0xe60 ... Call Trace: <TASK> netdev_update_features+0x1f/0x60 mlx5_hwtstamp_set+0x181/0x290 [mlx5_core] mlx5e_hwtstamp_set+0x19/0x30 [mlx5_core] dev_set_hwtstamp_phylib+0x9f/0x220 dev_set_hwtstamp_phylib+0x9f/0x220 dev_set_hwtstamp+0x13d/0x240 dev_ioctl+0x12f/0x4b0 sock_ioctl+0x171/0x370 __x64_sys_ioctl+0x3f7/0x900 ? __sys_setsockopt+0x69/0xb0 do_syscall_64+0x6f/0x2e0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 ... </TASK> .... ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- Note that the mlx5_hwtstamp_set and mlx5e_hwtstamp_set functions shown in the trace come from an in progress patch converting the legacy ioctl to ndo_hwtstamp_get/set and are not present in mainline.

Business impact

Successful exploitation of CVE-2025-39908, a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.8) affecting linux kernel, may affect the confidentiality, integrity or availability of the vulnerable environment. The exact impact depends on the installed version, exposed interfaces and deployment configuration.

Recommended administrator action

Confirm whether linux kernel is present and compare installed versions with the vendor advisory and NVD record. Apply the vendor patch or documented mitigation; until remediation is complete, reduce exposure of affected interfaces, review relevant logs and monitor for indicators of exploitation. DataHouse can support version verification, managed patching, network exposure reduction, log review and backup validation for dedicated, cloud and colocated environments.

Sources

• NVD
• Reference
• Reference