# CVE-2025-38192: net: clear the dst when changing skb protocol

> A Linux kernel null pointer dereference allows a local attacker with BPF privileges to crash the system via specific NAT46 packet handling.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 4 Jul 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-64710, AZL-70489, BELL-CVE-2025-38192, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38192, GHSA-82xm-wm87-5fc2, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38192, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38192, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38192, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38192, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38192

## What is CVE-2025-38192?

CVE-2025-38192 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: clear the dst when changing skb protocol

A not-so-careful NAT46 BPF program can crash the kernel
if it indiscriminately flips ingress packets from v4 to v6:

  BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000
    ip6_rcv_core (net/ipv6/ip6_input.c:190:20)
    ipv6_rcv (net/ipv6/ip6_input.c:306:8)
    process_backlog (net/core/dev.c:6186:4)
    napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:6906:9)
    net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7028:13)
    do_softirq (kernel/softirq.c:462:3)
    netif_rx (net/core/dev.c:5326:3)
    dev_loopback_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4015:2)
    ip_mc_finish_output (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:363:8)
    NF_HOOK (./include/linux/netfilter.h:314:9)
    ip_mc_output (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:400:5)
    dst_output (./include/net/dst.h:459:9)
    ip_local_out (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:130:9)
    ip_send_skb (net/ipv4/ip_output.c:1496:8)
    udp_send_skb (net/ipv4/udp.c:1040:8)
    udp_sendmsg (net/ipv4/udp.c:1328:10)

The output interface has a 4->6 program attached at ingress.
We try to loop the multicast skb back to the sending socket.
Ingress BPF runs as part of netif_rx(), pushes a valid v6 hdr
and changes skb->protocol to v6. We enter ip6_rcv_core which
tries to use skb_dst(). But the dst is still an IPv4 one left
after IPv4 mcast output.

Clear the dst in all BPF helpers which change the protocol.
Try to preserve metadata dsts, those may carry non-routing
metadata.

Weakness: CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38192?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-38192?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-38192 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38192 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38192 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-38192 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Jul 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38192 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38192/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38192/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38192
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38192
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38192

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38192/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.