CVE-2025-38271: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: prevent a NULL deref in rtnl_create_link() At the time rtnl_create

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: prevent a NULL deref in rtnl_create_link() At the time rtnl_create_link() is running,

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: prevent a NULL deref in rtnl_create_link() At the time rtnl_create_link() is running, dev->netdev_ops is NULL, we must not use netdev_lock_ops() or risk a NULL deref if CONFIG_NET_SHAPER is defined. Use netif_set_group() instead of dev_set_group(). RIP: 0010:netdev_need_ops_lock include/net/netdev_lock.h:33 [inline] RIP: 0010:netdev_lock_ops include/net/netdev_lock.h:41 [inline] RIP: 0010:dev_set_group+0xc0/0x230 net/core/dev_api.c:82 Call Trace: <TASK> rtnl_create_link+0x748/0xd10 net/core/rtnetlink.c:3674 rtnl_newlink_create+0x25c/0xb00 net/core/rtnetlink.c:3813 __rtnl_newlink net/core/rtnetlink.c:3940 [inline] rtnl_newlink+0x16d6/0x1c70 net/core/rtnetlink.c:4055 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x7cf/0xb70 net/core/rtnetlink.c:6944 netlink_rcv_skb+0x208/0x470 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2534 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1313 [inline] netlink_unicast+0x75b/0x8d0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1339 netlink_sendmsg+0x805/0xb30 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1883 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline]

Description from the National Vulnerability Database, published by 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

What it means for a small business

Linux is on the computers, phones or browsers your team uses every day. Turn on automatic updates and restart: most of these fixes only take effect after a restart.

How likely is an attack? The Exploit Prediction Scoring System, run by FIRST (the global association of security response teams), puts the odds of this one being exploited in the next 30 days at 0.16%, higher than 5% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored November 7, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

Website check: reads what your site runs from the outside (WordPress version, plugins it can see, old server software) and matches it against this database.
Server check: what your web server says about itself, and whether that version has known flaws.

Sources

Part of the Huttenlocher Technologies vulnerability database, refreshed twice a day from CISA and the NVD. The title, category and plain-language guidance are ours; check the linked record before acting on a detail. This is general guidance, not a review of your systems.

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