CVE-2025-39703: net, hsr: reject HSR frame if skb can't hold tag
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net, hsr: reject HSR frame if skb can't hold tag
Receiving HSR frame with insufficient space to hold HSR tag in the skb
can result in a crash (kernel BUG):
[ 45.390915] skbuff: skb_under_panic: text:ffffffff86f32cac len:26 put:14 head:ffff888042418000 data:ffff888042417ff4 tail:0xe end:0x180 dev:bridge_slave_1
[ 45.392559] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 45.392912] kernel BUG at net/core/skbuff.c:211!
[ 45.393276] Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] SMP DEBUG_PAGEALLOC KASAN NOPTI
[ 45.393809] CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 2496 Comm: reproducer Not tainted 6.15.0 #12 PREEMPT(undef)
[ 45.394433] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
[ 45.395273] RIP: 0010:skb_panic+0x15b/0x1d0
<snip registers, remove unreliable trace>
[ 45.402911] Call Trace:
[ 45.403105] <IRQ>
[ 45.404470] skb_push+0xcd/0xf0
[ 45.404726] br_dev_queue_push_xmit+0x7c/0x6c0
[ 45.406513] br_forward_finish+0x128/0x260
[ 45.408483] __br_forward+0x42d/0x590
[ 45.409464] maybe_deliver+0x2eb/0x420
[ 45.409763] br_flood+0x174/0x4a0
[ 45.410030] br_handle_frame_finish+0xc7c/0x1bc0
[ 45.411618] br_handle_frame+0xac3/0x1230
[ 45.413674] __netif_receive_skb_core.constprop.0+0x808/0x3df0
[ 45.422966] __netif_receive_skb_one_core+0xb4/0x1f0
[ 45.424478] __netif_receive_skb+0x22/0x170
[ 45.424806] process_backlog+0x242/0x6d0
[ 45.425116] __napi_poll+0xbb/0x630
[ 45.425394] net_rx_action+0x4d1/0xcc0
[ 45.427613] handle_softirqs+0x1a4/0x580
[ 45.427926] do_softirq+0x74/0x90
[ 45.428196] </IRQ>
This issue was found by syzkaller.
The panic happens in br_dev_queue_push_xmit() once it receives a
corrupted skb with ETH header already pushed in linear data. When it
attempts the skb_push() call, there's not enough headroom and
skb_push() panics.
The corrupted skb is put on the queue by HSR layer, which makes a
sequence of unintended transformations when it receives a specific
corrupted HSR frame (with incomplete TAG).
Fix it by dropping and consuming frames that are not long enough to
contain both ethernet and hsr headers.
Alternative fix would be to check for enough headroom before skb_push()
in br_dev_queue_push_xmit().
In the reproducer, this is injected via AF_PACKET, but I don't easily
see why it couldn't be sent over the wire from adjacent network.
Further Details:
In the reproducer, the following network interface chain is set up:
┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐
│ veth0_to_hsr ├───┤ hsr_slave0 ┼───┐
└────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ │
│ ┌──────┐
├─┤ hsr0 ├───┐
│ └──────┘ │
┌────────────────┐ ┌────────────────┐ │ │┌────────┐
│ veth1_to_hsr ┼───┤ hsr_slave1 ├───┘ └┤ │
└────────────────┘ └────────────────┘ ┌┼ bridge │
││ │
│└────────┘
│
┌───────┐ │
│ ... ├──────┘
└───────┘
To trigger the events leading up to crash, reproducer sends a corrupted
HSR fr
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2025-39703 is a Linux kernel flaw in HSR networking. A malformed HSR frame that is too short for expected headers can trigger a kernel crash. The impact shown is denial of service, not data theft or code execution, and exposure depends on whether HSR and bridging paths are present.
Executive priority
Treat as a targeted availability risk. It deserves timely patching on industrial, redundant-network, or specialized Linux deployments using HSR, but current evidence does not support emergency enterprise-wide response without affected configurations.
Technical view
The HSR receive path can pass a corrupted skb with incomplete HSR tag handling into bridge forwarding. br_dev_queue_push_xmit() then calls skb_push() without enough headroom, causing skb_under_panic and a kernel BUG. The kernel fix drops and consumes frames too short to contain both Ethernet and HSR headers.
Likely exposure
Likely limited to Linux systems using HSR networking, especially with bridge forwarding. The report used AF_PACKET injection, and the author noted adjacent-network delivery may be possible, but the source does not prove broad remote exposure.
Exploitation context
No active exploitation is cited, and the CVE is not listed as KEV in the supplied bundle. The issue was found by syzkaller and demonstrated as a crash condition using a reproducer, not as privilege escalation or code execution.
Researcher notes
The strongest evidence is the kernel commit narrative and crash trace. Affected-version data is branch-specific and partly commit-based, so validate against vendor kernels rather than assuming upstream version strings map directly to appliances or distributions.
Mitigation direction
Apply Linux kernel updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Debian LTS and Siemens advisories if those distributions or products are in scope.
Prioritize systems using HSR interfaces or HSR-to-bridge configurations.
If updates are unavailable, review vendor guidance for temporary risk reduction.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions and identify HSR-enabled hosts.
Check whether HSR interfaces are bridged or reachable from adjacent networks.
Confirm kernel package includes the relevant stable fix commit for its branch.
Review crash logs for skb_under_panic or HSR-related kernel BUG traces.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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3Timeline events
2ADP providers
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CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
Sep 5, 2025, 17:21 UTC (UTC+00:00)
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