[PATCH v2] net: usb: asix: validate PHY address before use

From: Deepanshu Kartikey

Date: Wed Dec 17 2025 - 20:12:14 EST


The ASIX driver reads the PHY address from the USB device via
asix_read_phy_addr(). A malicious or faulty device can return an
invalid address (>= PHY_MAX_ADDR), which causes a warning in
mdiobus_get_phy():

addr 207 out of range
WARNING: drivers/net/phy/mdio_bus.c:76

Validate the PHY address in asix_read_phy_addr() and remove the
now-redundant check in ax88172a.c.

Reported-by: syzbot+3d43c9066a5b54902232@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Closes: https://syzkaller.appspot.com/bug?extid=3d43c9066a5b54902232
Tested-by: syzbot+3d43c9066a5b54902232@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Fixes: 7e88b11a862a ("net: usb: asix: refactor asix_read_phy_addr() and handle errors on return")
Link: https://lore.kernel.org/all/20251217085057.270704-1-kartikey406@xxxxxxxxx/T/ [v1]
Signed-off-by: Deepanshu Kartikey <kartikey406@xxxxxxxxx>
---
v2:
- Remove redundant validation check in ax88172a.c (Andrew Lunn)
---
drivers/net/usb/asix_common.c | 5 +++++
drivers/net/usb/ax88172a.c | 6 +-----
2 files changed, 6 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-)

diff --git a/drivers/net/usb/asix_common.c b/drivers/net/usb/asix_common.c
index 7fd763917ae2..6ab3486072cb 100644
--- a/drivers/net/usb/asix_common.c
+++ b/drivers/net/usb/asix_common.c
@@ -335,6 +335,11 @@ int asix_read_phy_addr(struct usbnet *dev, bool internal)
offset = (internal ? 1 : 0);
ret = buf[offset];

+ if (ret >= PHY_MAX_ADDR) {
+ netdev_err(dev->net, "invalid PHY address: %d\n", ret);
+ return -ENODEV;
+ }
+
netdev_dbg(dev->net, "%s PHY address 0x%x\n",
internal ? "internal" : "external", ret);

diff --git a/drivers/net/usb/ax88172a.c b/drivers/net/usb/ax88172a.c
index f613e4bc68c8..758a423a459b 100644
--- a/drivers/net/usb/ax88172a.c
+++ b/drivers/net/usb/ax88172a.c
@@ -210,11 +210,7 @@ static int ax88172a_bind(struct usbnet *dev, struct usb_interface *intf)
ret = asix_read_phy_addr(dev, priv->use_embdphy);
if (ret < 0)
goto free;
- if (ret >= PHY_MAX_ADDR) {
- netdev_err(dev->net, "Invalid PHY address %#x\n", ret);
- ret = -ENODEV;
- goto free;
- }
+
priv->phy_addr = ret;

ax88172a_reset_phy(dev, priv->use_embdphy);
--
2.43.0