# CVE-2025-39980: nexthop: Forbid FDB status change while nexthop is in a group

> A local attacker with high privileges can trigger a kernel null pointer dereference and system crash by improperly changing nexthop FDB status.

- **Severity:** Not scored
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 15 Oct 2025
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-68507, BELL-CVE-2025-39980, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-39980, GHSA-9g6c-7w9m-p2mh, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-39980, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-39980, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-39980, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-39980, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-39980

## What is CVE-2025-39980?

CVE-2025-39980 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Oct 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:

nexthop: Forbid FDB status change while nexthop is in a group

The kernel forbids the creation of non-FDB nexthop groups with FDB
nexthops:

 # ip nexthop add id 1 via 192.0.2.1 fdb
 # ip nexthop add id 2 group 1
 Error: Non FDB nexthop group cannot have fdb nexthops.

And vice versa:

 # ip nexthop add id 3 via 192.0.2.2 dev dummy1
 # ip nexthop add id 4 group 3 fdb
 Error: FDB nexthop group can only have fdb nexthops.

However, as long as no routes are pointing to a non-FDB nexthop group,
the kernel allows changing the type of a nexthop from FDB to non-FDB and
vice versa:

 # ip nexthop add id 5 via 192.0.2.2 dev dummy1
 # ip nexthop add id 6 group 5
 # ip nexthop replace id 5 via 192.0.2.2 fdb
 # echo $?
 0

This configuration is invalid and can result in a NPD [1] since FDB
nexthops are not associated with a nexthop device:

 # ip route add 198.51.100.1/32 nhid 6
 # ping 198.51.100.1

Fix by preventing nexthop FDB status change while the nexthop is in a
group:

 # ip nexthop add id 7 via 192.0.2.2 dev dummy1
 # ip nexthop add id 8 group 7
 # ip nexthop replace id 7 via 192.0.2.2 fdb
 Error: Cannot change nexthop FDB status while in a group.

[1]
BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000003c0
[...]
Oops: Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP
CPU: 6 UID: 0 PID: 367 Comm: ping Not tainted 6.17.0-rc6-virtme-gb65678cacc03 #1 PREEMPT(voluntary)
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-4.fc41 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:fib_lookup_good_nhc+0x1e/0x80
[...]
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 fib_table_lookup+0x541/0x650
 ip_route_output_key_hash_rcu+0x2ea/0x970
 ip_route_output_key_hash+0x55/0x80
 __ip4_datagram_connect+0x250/0x330
 udp_connect+0x2b/0x60
 __sys_connect+0x9c/0xd0
 __x64_sys_connect+0x18/0x20
 do_syscall_64+0xa4/0x2a0
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-39980?


## How do I fix CVE-2025-39980?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-39980 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-39980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2025-39980 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-39980 is a vulnerability in Linux, published on 15 Oct 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-2025-39980 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux. 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-2025-39980/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39980/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-39980
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-39980
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-39980

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39980/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.