Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
devlink: rate: Unset parent pointer in devl_rate_nodes_destroy
The function devl_rate_nodes_destroy is documented to "Unset parent for
all rate objects". However, it was only calling the driver-specific
`rate_leaf_parent_set` or `rate_node_parent_set` ops and decrementing
the parent's refcount, without actually setting the
`devlink_rate->parent` pointer to NULL.
This leaves a dangling pointer in the `devlink_rate` struct, which cause
refcount error in netdevsim[1] and mlx5[2]. In addition, this is
inconsistent with the behavior of `devlink_nl_rate_parent_node_set`,
where the parent pointer is correctly cleared.
This patch fixes the issue by explicitly setting `devlink_rate->parent`
to NULL after notifying the driver, thus fulfilling the function's
documented behavior for all rate objects.
[1]
repro steps:
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/new_device
devlink dev eswitch set netdevsim/netdevsim1 mode switchdev
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/devices/netdevsim1/sriov_numvfs
devlink port function rate add netdevsim/netdevsim1/test_node
devlink port function rate set netdevsim/netdevsim1/128 parent test_node
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/del_device
dmesg:
refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory.
WARNING: CPU: 8 PID: 1530 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
CPU: 8 UID: 0 PID: 1530 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.18.0-rc4+ #1 NONE
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90
__nsim_dev_port_del+0x6c/0x70 [netdevsim]
nsim_dev_reload_destroy+0x11c/0x140 [netdevsim]
nsim_drv_remove+0x2b/0xb0 [netdevsim]
device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0
bus_remove_device+0xc6/0x130
device_del+0x159/0x3c0
device_unregister+0x1a/0x60
del_device_store+0x111/0x170 [netdevsim]
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0
vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0
ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0
do_syscall_64+0x55/0x10f0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
[2]
devlink dev eswitch set pci/0000:08:00.0 mode switchdev
devlink port add pci/0000:08:00.0 flavour pcisf pfnum 0 sfnum 1000
devlink port function rate add pci/0000:08:00.0/group1
devlink port function rate set pci/0000:08:00.0/32768 parent group1
modprobe -r mlx5_ib mlx5_fwctl mlx5_core
dmesg:
refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory.
WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 16151 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 16151 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.17.0-rc7_for_upstream_min_debug_2025_10_02_12_44 #1 NONE
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90
mlx5_esw_offloads_devlink_port_unregister+0x33/0x60 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_esw_offloads_unload_rep+0x3f/0x50 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_eswitch_unload_sf_vport+0x40/0x90 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_sf_esw_event+0xc4/0x120 [mlx5_core]
notifier_call_chain+0x33/0xa0
blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3b/0x50
mlx5_eswitch_disable_locked+0x50/0x110 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_eswitch_disable+0x63/0x90 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_unload+0x1d/0x170 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_uninit_one+0xa2/0x130 [mlx5_core]
remove_one+0x78/0xd0 [mlx5_core]
pci_device_remove+0x39/0xa0
device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0
unbind_store+0x99/0xa0
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0
vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0
ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0
do_syscall_64+0x53/0x1f0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
devlink: rate: Unset parent pointer in devl_rate_nodes_destroy
The function devl_rate_nodes_destroy is documented to "Unset parent for
all rate objects". However, it was only calling the driver-specific
`rate_leaf_parent_set` or `rate_node_parent_set` ops and decrementing
the parent's refcount, without actually setting the
`devlink_rate->parent` pointer to NULL.
This leaves a dangling pointer in the `devlink_rate` struct, which cause
refcount error in netdevsim[1] and mlx5[2]. In addition, this is
inconsistent with the behavior of `devlink_nl_rate_parent_node_set`,
where the parent pointer is correctly cleared.
This patch fixes the issue by explicitly setting `devlink_rate->parent`
to NULL after notifying the driver, thus fulfilling the function's
documented behavior for all rate objects.
[1]
repro steps:
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/new_device
devlink dev eswitch set netdevsim/netdevsim1 mode switchdev
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/devices/netdevsim1/sriov_numvfs
devlink port function rate add netdevsim/netdevsim1/test_node
devlink port function rate set netdevsim/netdevsim1/128 parent test_node
echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/del_device
dmesg:
refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory.
WARNING: CPU: 8 PID: 1530 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
CPU: 8 UID: 0 PID: 1530 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.18.0-rc4+ #1 NONE
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90
__nsim_dev_port_del+0x6c/0x70 [netdevsim]
nsim_dev_reload_destroy+0x11c/0x140 [netdevsim]
nsim_drv_remove+0x2b/0xb0 [netdevsim]
device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0
bus_remove_device+0xc6/0x130
device_del+0x159/0x3c0
device_unregister+0x1a/0x60
del_device_store+0x111/0x170 [netdevsim]
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0
vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0
ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0
do_syscall_64+0x55/0x10f0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
[2]
devlink dev eswitch set pci/0000:08:00.0 mode switchdev
devlink port add pci/0000:08:00.0 flavour pcisf pfnum 0 sfnum 1000
devlink port function rate add pci/0000:08:00.0/group1
devlink port function rate set pci/0000:08:00.0/32768 parent group1
modprobe -r mlx5_ib mlx5_fwctl mlx5_core
dmesg:
refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory.
WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 16151 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 16151 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.17.0-rc7_for_upstream_min_debug_2025_10_02_12_44 #1 NONE
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0
Call Trace:
<TASK>
devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90
mlx5_esw_offloads_devlink_port_unregister+0x33/0x60 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_esw_offloads_unload_rep+0x3f/0x50 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_eswitch_unload_sf_vport+0x40/0x90 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_sf_esw_event+0xc4/0x120 [mlx5_core]
notifier_call_chain+0x33/0xa0
blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3b/0x50
mlx5_eswitch_disable_locked+0x50/0x110 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_eswitch_disable+0x63/0x90 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_unload+0x1d/0x170 [mlx5_core]
mlx5_uninit_one+0xa2/0x130 [mlx5_core]
remove_one+0x78/0xd0 [mlx5_core]
pci_device_remove+0x39/0xa0
device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0
unbind_store+0x99/0xa0
kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0
vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0
ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0
do_syscall_64+0x53/0x1f0
entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53
Analysis
Analysis and contextual insights are available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Default status is the baseline for the product, each version can override it (e.g. patched versions marked unaffected).
| Vendor | Product | Default status | Versions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | unaffected |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Linux | Linux | affected |
|
Configuration 1 [-]
|
No data.
No data available yet.
Remediation
No vendor fix or workaround currently provided.
Additional remediation guidance may be available on OpenCVE Cloud.
Tracking
Sign in to view the affected projects.
Advisories
| Source | ID | Title |
|---|---|---|
 Debian DLA |
DLA-4499-1 | linux-6.1 security update |
 Debian DSA |
DSA-6163-1 | linux security update |
 Ubuntu USN |
USN-8094-1 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8095-1 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8095-2 | Linux kernel (FIPS) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8100-1 | Linux kernel (NVIDIA) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8094-2 | Linux kernel vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8095-3 | Linux kernel (Real-time) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8095-4 | Linux kernel (AWS) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8094-3 | Linux kernel (Real-time) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8094-4 | Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8125-1 | Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8126-1 | Linux kernel (Azure) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8094-5 | Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8095-5 | Linux kernel (Raspberry Pi) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8152-1 | Linux kernel (OEM) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8165-1 | Linux kernel (Azure FIPS) vulnerabilities |
| Ubuntu USN |
USN-8261-1 | Linux kernel (Xilinx) vulnerabilities |
References
History
Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:00:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-476 | |
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc1:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc2:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc3:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc4:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc5:*:*:*:*:*:* cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:6.18:rc6:*:*:*:*:*:* |
|
| Metrics |
cvssV3_1
|
cvssV3_1
|
Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| References |
|
Wed, 10 Dec 2025 12:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Weaknesses | CWE-911 | |
| References |
| |
| Metrics |
threat_severity
|
cvssV3_1
|
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 16:15:00 +0000
| Type | Values Removed | Values Added |
|---|---|---|
| Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: devlink: rate: Unset parent pointer in devl_rate_nodes_destroy The function devl_rate_nodes_destroy is documented to "Unset parent for all rate objects". However, it was only calling the driver-specific `rate_leaf_parent_set` or `rate_node_parent_set` ops and decrementing the parent's refcount, without actually setting the `devlink_rate->parent` pointer to NULL. This leaves a dangling pointer in the `devlink_rate` struct, which cause refcount error in netdevsim[1] and mlx5[2]. In addition, this is inconsistent with the behavior of `devlink_nl_rate_parent_node_set`, where the parent pointer is correctly cleared. This patch fixes the issue by explicitly setting `devlink_rate->parent` to NULL after notifying the driver, thus fulfilling the function's documented behavior for all rate objects. [1] repro steps: echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/new_device devlink dev eswitch set netdevsim/netdevsim1 mode switchdev echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/devices/netdevsim1/sriov_numvfs devlink port function rate add netdevsim/netdevsim1/test_node devlink port function rate set netdevsim/netdevsim1/128 parent test_node echo 1 > /sys/bus/netdevsim/del_device dmesg: refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory. WARNING: CPU: 8 PID: 1530 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0 CPU: 8 UID: 0 PID: 1530 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.18.0-rc4+ #1 NONE Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.0-0-gd239552ce722-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0 Call Trace: <TASK> devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90 __nsim_dev_port_del+0x6c/0x70 [netdevsim] nsim_dev_reload_destroy+0x11c/0x140 [netdevsim] nsim_drv_remove+0x2b/0xb0 [netdevsim] device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0 bus_remove_device+0xc6/0x130 device_del+0x159/0x3c0 device_unregister+0x1a/0x60 del_device_store+0x111/0x170 [netdevsim] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0 vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0 ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0 do_syscall_64+0x55/0x10f0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 [2] devlink dev eswitch set pci/0000:08:00.0 mode switchdev devlink port add pci/0000:08:00.0 flavour pcisf pfnum 0 sfnum 1000 devlink port function rate add pci/0000:08:00.0/group1 devlink port function rate set pci/0000:08:00.0/32768 parent group1 modprobe -r mlx5_ib mlx5_fwctl mlx5_core dmesg: refcount_t: decrement hit 0; leaking memory. WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 16151 at lib/refcount.c:31 refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0 CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 16151 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.17.0-rc7_for_upstream_min_debug_2025_10_02_12_44 #1 NONE Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0x42/0xe0 Call Trace: <TASK> devl_rate_leaf_destroy+0x8d/0x90 mlx5_esw_offloads_devlink_port_unregister+0x33/0x60 [mlx5_core] mlx5_esw_offloads_unload_rep+0x3f/0x50 [mlx5_core] mlx5_eswitch_unload_sf_vport+0x40/0x90 [mlx5_core] mlx5_sf_esw_event+0xc4/0x120 [mlx5_core] notifier_call_chain+0x33/0xa0 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3b/0x50 mlx5_eswitch_disable_locked+0x50/0x110 [mlx5_core] mlx5_eswitch_disable+0x63/0x90 [mlx5_core] mlx5_unload+0x1d/0x170 [mlx5_core] mlx5_uninit_one+0xa2/0x130 [mlx5_core] remove_one+0x78/0xd0 [mlx5_core] pci_device_remove+0x39/0xa0 device_release_driver_internal+0x194/0x1f0 unbind_store+0x99/0xa0 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x12e/0x1e0 vfs_write+0x215/0x3d0 ksys_write+0x5f/0xd0 do_syscall_64+0x53/0x1f0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 | |
| Title | devlink: rate: Unset parent pointer in devl_rate_nodes_destroy | |
| First Time appeared |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| CPEs | cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | |
| Vendors & Products |
Linux
Linux linux Kernel |
|
| References |
|
MITRE
Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published:
Updated: 2026-05-11T21:45:43.019Z
Reserved: 2025-04-16T07:20:57.181Z
Link: CVE-2025-40251
Vulnrichment
No data.
NVD
Status : Analyzed
Published: 2025-12-04T16:16:18.663
Modified: 2026-02-26T15:52:30.673
Link: CVE-2025-40251
Redhat
OpenCVE Enrichment
No data.