CVE-2026-64545
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net, bpf: check master for NULL in xdp_master_redirect() xdp_master_redirect() dereferences the result of netdev_master_upper_dev_get_rcu() without a NULL check, but that helper returns NULL when the receiving device has no upper-master adjacency. The reach guard only checks netif_is_bond_slave(). On bond slave release bond_upper_dev_unlink() drops the upper-master adjacency before clearing IFF_SLAVE, so an XDP_TX reaching xdp_master_redirect() in that window still passes netif_is_bond_slave() while master is already NULL, and faults on master->flags at offset 0xb0: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 00000000000000b0 RIP: 0010:xdp_master_redirect (net/core/filter.c:4432) Call Trace: xdp_master_redirect (net/core/filter.c:4432) bpf_prog_run_generic_xdp (include/net/xdp.h:700) do_xdp_generic (net/core/dev.c:5608) __netif_receive_skb_one_core (net/core/dev.c:6204) process_backlog (net/core/dev.c:6319) __napi_poll (net/core/dev.c:7729) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7792) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:622) __dev_queue_xmit (include/linux/bottom_half.h:33) packet_sendmsg (net/packet/af_packet.c:3082) __sys_sendto (net/socket.c:2252) Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception in interrupt The missing check dates back to the original code; commit 1921f91298d1 ("net, bpf: fix null-ptr-deref in xdp_master_redirect() for down master") later added the master->flags read where the fault now lands but kept the unconditional deref. Check master for NULL before use; a NULL master is treated the same as one that is not up.
Affected versions
Linux kernel versions
5.15
and later are affected. Fixed in
5.15.212,
6.1.178,
6.6.145,
6.12.97,
6.18.40,
7.1.5,
7.2-rc1
and their respective stable series.
References
7 totalFrequently asked questions
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What is CVE-2026-64545?
CVE-2026-64545 is a unscored severity Linux kernel vulnerability . It affects Linux kernel versions from 5.15 onward and has been patched in 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145 and others. CVE-2026-64545 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
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Is there a patch available for CVE-2026-64545?
Yes. CVE-2026-64545 has been patched. Fixed versions include 5.15.212, 6.1.178, 6.6.145 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 5.15 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.
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Is CVE-2026-64545 actively exploited?
No. CVE-2026-64545 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.