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CVE-2026-72425
ice: fix FDIR CTRL VSI resource leak in ice_reset_all_vfs()
Published 2026-08-15 (2 months ago) by the Linux kernel CNA. Subsystem drivers/net. Debian urgency: not yet assigned.
What to do, per Debian release
Debian's own status for CVE-2026-72425 in every release this site tracks, and what each one means in practice. Every status below is the one the Debian Security Team publishes for this CVE. source
| Release | Status | Version | What this means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 12bookworm | fixed | 6.1.180-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.1.180-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 13trixie | fixed | 6.12.100-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 6.12.100-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian 14forky | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
| Debian unstablesid | fixed | 7.1.5-1 | Update the kernel and reboot. Fixed in 7.1.5-1. A running kernel keeps the old code until the machine restarts. |
The vulnerability
What the bug is
Resetting all VFs causes resource leak on VFs with FDIR filters enabled as CTRL VSIs are only invalidated and not freed. Fix by using ice_vf_ctrl_vsi_release() instead of ice_vf_ctrl_invalidate_vsi() which aligns behavior with the ice_reset_vf() function. Reproduction: echo 1 > /sys/class/net/$pf/device/sriov_numvfs ethtool -N $vf flow-type ether proto 0x9000 action 0 echo 1 > /sys/class/net/$pf/device/reset
Where it lives
The fix touches these files. If the subsystem is one you do not use, the practical exposure is lower, though the package is still the vulnerable one.
drivers/net/ethernet/intel/ice/ice_vf_lib.c
- What this is
- INTEL ETHERNET DRIVERSMAINTAINERS section matched on drivers/net/ethernet/intel/*/ · intel-wired-lan@lists.osuosl.org · Maintained
- Kernel module
- ice
Check it on the machine
grep -wE 'CONFIG_ETHERNET|CONFIG_ICE|CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_INTEL|CONFIG_PCI_IOV' /boot/config-$(uname -r)Reads the booted kernel's own configuration, on the machine and nowhere else. =y is built in, =m is a module, and an is not set line means the code is not there.
lsmod | grep -w icePrints a line if that module is loaded right now, and nothing if it is not. One that is not loaded can still be loaded later by anything that needs it.
Show whether Debian builds this, per release
Debian builds this, but not on every flavour. At least one release below builds the code on some of its kernel flavours and not on others, so the answer depends on the architecture and flavour installed.
- bookwormMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
- trixieMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armel/rpi, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae, armhf/rt/armmp
- forky, sidMnot built on amd64/cloud-amd64, arm64/cloud-arm64, armhf/armmp, armhf/armmp-lpae
- M
- a module where it is built at all; some flavours do not build it
- Build switches
- CONFIG_ETHERNET, CONFIG_ICE, CONFIG_NET_VENDOR_INTEL, CONFIG_PCI_IOV
- Reads as
- all on means the file is compiled; any one off means it is not.
From the configuration Debian publishes for every kernel flavour it builds. It covers only the architectures Debian ships a linux-config package for, and nothing about a kernel you built yourself. Debian's own status above stays authoritative about the source package.MAINTAINERS kbuild Makefiles Debian linux-config packages
Signals
- Published
- 2026-08-15 (2 months ago)source
- CVSS
- 7.1 high
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:Hsource recompute it - Attack vector
- local (AV:L)source
- EPSS
- 0.18%, higher than 7.4% of all CVEssource
- CISA KEV
- not listedthe KEV catalogue
- Debian urgency
- not yet assignedsource
- Subsystem
- drivers/net
Upstream fixes
The versions the CNA records as introducing and fixing this, and the commit for each. source
| Introduced | Fixed in | Commit |
|---|---|---|
| 5.13 | 6.1.178 | b409a9dc37db |
| 5.13 | 6.6.145 | 335c2dd21ad9 |
| 5.13 | 6.12.97 | 87a042e45bf4 |
| 5.13 | 6.18.40 | dd6d8e4412f8 |
| 5.13 | 7.1.5 | b1fc5bafbc5f |
| 5.13 | 7.2 | ebbe8868cf47 |
Why the CNA scored it this way
Quoted from the kernel CNA's own scoring file, word for word. A highlighted metric carries the most severe value CVSS v3.1 defines for it, which is what pushes the score up. source
- AV:LAttack vector, local
- The bug is reached via local host interfaces only: VF virtchnl mailbox messages (VIRTCHNL_OP_ADD_FDIR_FILTER) to create per-VF FDIR ctrl VSIs, and PF-wide reset paths (PCI sysfs reset, ethtool-driven PFR/CORER/GLOBR) that call ice_reset_all_vfs(); no network packet receive path is involved.
- AC:LAttack complexity, low
- Once a VF has created an FDIR rule (which allocates the per-VF ctrl VSI), each PF-wide reset deterministically leaks that ctrl VSI because ice_reset_all_vfs() only invalidated ctrl_vsi_idx instead of calling ice_vf_ctrl_vsi_release(); the commit reproduces this reliably and the attacker controls the FDIR setup side of the race.
- PR:NPrivileges required, none
- No host root or CAP_SYS_ADMIN is required on the vulnerable host: a tenant with an assigned SR-IOV VF can negotiate VIRTCHNL_VF_OFFLOAD_FDIR_PF and send VIRTCHNL_OP_ADD_FDIR_FILTER over the VF mailbox to create the ctrl VSI; PF-wide resets occur during normal firmware/PCI/driver recovery without further host credentials.
- UI:NUser interaction, none
- Exploitation does not require any victim user action such as opening files or clicking links; a malicious VM tenant programs FDIR filters via the standard iAVF virtchnl interface and the leak triggers automatically on subsequent PF-wide reset events.
- S:CScope, changed
- The vulnerable ice driver runs in the host kernel but is triggered from an SR-IOV VF guest security domain; leaked ctrl VSIs consume finite pf->vsi slots and hardware VSI resources on the host, degrading or denying NIC functionality for the hypervisor and other VMs on the same PF.
- C:NConfidentiality impact, none
- This is a kernel resource leak (orphaned ICE_VSI_CTRL structures and associated queue/MSI-X/FDIR hardware resources) without out-of-bounds read, use-after-free, or other memory disclosure primitive; no confidential data is exposed.
- I:NIntegrity impact, none
- The flaw only fails to call ice_vsi_release()/ice_vsi_delete_from_hw() for per-VF ctrl VSIs during ice_reset_all_vfs(); it does not corrupt memory, modify data, or provide write or code-execution primitives.
- A:HAvailability impact, high
- Each leaked ctrl VSI permanently consumes a limited VSI slot (pf->num_alloc_vsi) and hardware resources; repeated PF-wide resets with FDIR-enabled VFs can exhaust the VSI pool causing ice_vsi_alloc() failure and denial of network service for the host and all co-resident VFs on the NIC.