The idpf driver in the Linux kernel has a bug where, after a soft reset, the RSS lookup table (LUT) is freed and not restored unless the interface is up. When an ethtool command that accesses the RSS LUT is run immediately after the reset, the driver dereferences a NULL pointer, causing a kernel Oops and a system crash. This is a direct denial‑of‑service vulnerability that crashes the kernel, potentially making the system unresponsive until a reboot or manual recovery. The weakness is classified as CWE‑476 (NULL Pointer Dereference).

The flaw is present in the idpf driver across Linux kernel releases that include version 6.19 release candidates 1 through 4, and may also affect earlier unpatched branches that contain the same code path. Systems running those kernel versions on hardware that loads the idpf network driver are susceptible. All users of the Linux kernel that can load the idpf module are affected, regardless of distribution, provided they have not applied the recent commit that restores the LUT after a reset. The vendor and product name reflected in the CPE strings is simply "Linux Linux".

The CVSS score is 5.5, indicating moderate impact. The EPSS probability is less than 1 %, and the vulnerability is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog, suggesting it is not currently widely exploited. The attack vector is clearly local: an attacker must have the ability to issue ethtool commands on the system, which typically requires root or equivalent privileges. An exploitation that yields an Oops crash can be used to trigger a denial‑of‑service condition, but does not grant remote code execution or privilege escalation under the information provided.