CVE-2025-68762

Technical Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: netpoll: initialize work queue before error checks

Prevent a kernel warning when netconsole setup fails on devices with

IFF_DISABLE_NETPOLL flag. The warning (at kernel/workqueue.c:4242 in

__flush_work) occurs because the cleanup path tries to cancel an

uninitialized work queue.

When __netpoll_setup() encounters a device with IFF_DISABLE_NETPOLL,

it fails early and calls skb_pool_flush() for cleanup. This function

calls cancel_work_sync(&np->refill_wq), but refill_wq hasn't been

initialized yet, triggering the warning.

Move INIT_WORK() to the beginning of __netpoll_setup(), ensuring the

work queue is properly initialized before any potential failure points.

This allows the cleanup path to safely cancel the work queue regardless

of where the setup fails.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories, patches, and mitigation guidance. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

References