CVE-2025-39773: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: fix soft lockup in br_multicast_query_expired() When set multicast_query

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: fix soft lockup in br_multicast_query_expired() When set multicast_query_inte

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: bridge: fix soft lockup in br_multicast_query_expired() When set multicast_query_interval to a large value, the local variable 'time' in br_multicast_send_query() may overflow. If the time is smaller than jiffies, the timer will expire immediately, and then call mod_timer() again, which creates a loop and may trigger the following soft lockup issue. watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#1 stuck for 221s! [rb_consumer:66] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 66 Comm: rb_consumer Not tainted 6.16.0+ #259 PREEMPT(none) Call Trace: <IRQ> __netdev_alloc_skb+0x2e/0x3a0 br_ip6_multicast_alloc_query+0x212/0x1b70 __br_multicast_send_query+0x376/0xac0 br_multicast_send_query+0x299/0x510 br_multicast_query_expired.constprop.0+0x16d/0x1b0 call_timer_fn+0x3b/0x2a0 __run_timers+0x619/0x950 run_timer_softirq+0x11c/0x220 handle_softirqs+0x18e/0x560 __irq_exit_rcu+0x158/0x1a0 sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x76/0x90 </IRQ> This issue can be reproduced with: ip link add br0 type bridge echo 1 > /sys/class/net/br0/bridge/multicast_querier echo 0xffffffffffffffff > /sys/class/net/br0/bridge/multica

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 0.12%, higher than 2% of CVEs. That’s low, but low isn’t zero, and the odds jump the day someone publishes an exploit. Scored October 29, 2026, updated daily.

Check your own setup

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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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