CVE-2025-39922

What it actually does

The ixgbe driver applies an incorrect mapping table when configuring Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) link modes, causing the driver to select or advertise the wrong link parameters during negotiation.

Why it matters to the business

Systems using affected Intel network adapters may experience unexpected link behavior, reduced power efficiency, or intermittent connectivity on 10 GbE interfaces, increasing operational risk for containerized or cloud workloads until the kernel is updated.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access on a system using the vulnerable ixgbe driver manipulates EEE settings or link negotiation to trigger incorrect map usage; combined with other kernel flaws, this can be chained by groups such as VMSCAPE for privilege escalation on container-optimized Linux environments.

How to fix it

Update the Linux kernel to the commit 682105ab63826fb7ca7c112b42b478d156fbb19f or later stable releases that contain the corrected EEE linkmode map for ixgbe.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify the running kernel contains commit 682105ab63826fb7ca7c112b42b478d156fbb19f; confirm via git log or kernel build info that the ixgbe EEE map correction is present and test link negotiation on affected hardware.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local or container access on a host using ixgbe-based NICs
2. Trigger or observe EEE link-mode configuration via ethtool or driver init
3. Exploit incorrect map to influence link state or adjacent kernel structures
4. Escalate privileges or disrupt networking to achieve persistence or impact

How to detect it

Review kernel logs and audit records for unexpected ixgbe link-mode changes or EEE configuration events around the time of suspected activity; correlate with process execution on container hosts.

What your security team should do

• Apply the referenced kernel fix immediately on all systems using ixgbe NICs
• Prioritize patching hosts in container or cloud environments given VMSCAPE activity
• Monitor for new kernel releases and rebuild custom images with the corrected driver
• Review network interface configurations post-update to ensure EEE settings behave as expected