In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: tap: set skb->dev before parsing virtio net header in tap_get_user_xdp()
The commit 4f61f133f354 ("net: tap: NULL pointer derefence in dev_parse_header_protocol when skb->dev is null") fixed a crash in tap_get_user() by assigning skb->dev before calling tun_vnet_hdr_to_skb(). This is required because virtio_net_hdr_to_skb() may invoke dev_parse_header_protocol(), which dereferences skb->dev. Without the assignment, a NULL pointer dereference can occur.
However, tap_get_user_xdp() still parses the virtio-net header before assigning skb->dev. When the vhost TX path passes an XDP buffer containing a GSO virtio-net header but the protocol is set to zero on purpose, tun_vnet_hdr_to_skb() can reach dev_parse_header_protocol() while skb->dev is still NULL, resulting in a crash.
Fix this by looking up the tap device and assigning skb->dev before calling tun_vnet_hdr_to_skb(), matching the ordering already used in tap_get_user(). Preserve the existing RCU read-side critical section across dev_queue_xmit().
CVSS Details
- CVSS 3.1 Base Score: 7.1
- CVSS 3.1 Vector: (CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H)
Covered by Rapid7
| Product | Vendor Advisory | Solution File | Added | Published |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debian | — | Upgrade linux-6.12Upgrade linux | Aug 26, 2026 | Aug 26, 2026 |
| Redhat_linux | — | No solution exists | Aug 26, 2026 | Aug 22, 2026 |
| Vmware Photon_os | — | Use 'tdnf update' to upgrade all packages to the latest version. | Sep 15, 2026 | Aug 22, 2026 |
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