The Linux kernel’s eth tool interface allows an offline self test to bring a network interface down and back up without holding the required rtnl_lock when the driver is ops‑locked. An absence of this lock causes the device to be reconfigured without the kernel’s synchronization, resulting in lockdep warnings and assertion failures that can leave the interface in an unstable or non‑operational state. This flaw, in effect, allows a local actor to forcibly misconfigure the interface by exercising the ETHTOOL_TEST ioctl.

Affected kernels include any release that contains ops‑locked network drivers such as fbnic and bnxt and that does not yet implement the optional rtnl_lock requirement for offline self tests. The vulnerability is exercised only through the legacy ETHTOOL_TEST ioctl path and thus targets systems that provide this driver functionality.

The CVSS score of 4.4 and an EPSS score of less than 1% indicate low severity and a low likelihood of exploitation. The flaw requires executing the ETHTOOL_TEST ioctl, which generally demands appropriate privileges to control a network interface, but the CVE payload does not confirm the exact privilege level. If an attacker can run this ioctl on an ops‑locked driver, the attack would locally disrupt the affected interface, representing a low to moderate disruption risk for environments that routinely use the self‑test on such drivers, and is not noted in the CISA KEV catalog.