diff --git a/salt/common/init.sls b/salt/common/init.sls
index 120e73e3e..9618d2c67 100644
--- a/salt/common/init.sls
+++ b/salt/common/init.sls
@@ -130,6 +130,17 @@ common_sbin:
       - so-pcap-import
 {% endif %}
 
+# Pin physical NIC names by MAC (run-once) so a kernel upgrade can't renumber the
+# interfaces SO binds by name. The marker keeps it a one-time setup; an admin can
+# pre-create the marker to opt out.
+pin_nic_names:
+  cmd.run:
+    - name: /usr/sbin/so-nic-pin
+    - unless: 'test -e /opt/so/state/nic_names_pinned'
+    - require:
+      - file: common_sbin
+      - file: statedir
+
 common_sbin_jinja:
   file.recurse:
     - name: /usr/sbin
diff --git a/salt/common/tools/sbin/so-nic-pin b/salt/common/tools/sbin/so-nic-pin
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9e2b4e13a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/salt/common/tools/sbin/so-nic-pin
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+#
+# so-nic-pin — pin physical NIC names by permanent MAC via classic by-MAC udev
+#              rules, so a kernel upgrade can't renumber them.
+#
+# Security Onion binds its management and monitor interfaces BY NAME in pillar
+# (host:mainint, sensor:mainint, and bond0 is built on a specific physical NIC).
+# A kernel upgrade can change the kernel/systemd-udevd predictable-naming output
+# and renumber those NICs (e.g. enp1s0 -> enp2s0), which breaks the grid: the
+# pillar references a name that no longer exists and bond/bridge bring-up fails.
+#
+# This writes /etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules pinning each PHYSICAL NIC
+# to its CURRENT name by its PERMANENT MAC, freezing the names across future kernel
+# changes. It only writes the rules file; it does NOT live-trigger a rename (the
+# rules apply on the next boot/kernel, and a live rename would be disruptive).
+#
+# Run-once: gated by the drop file /opt/so/state/nic_names_pinned. If the marker is
+# present the script does nothing, so an admin can pre-create it to opt out. Invoked
+# from the common state on every highstate; the marker keeps it a one-time setup.
+
+NET_RULES_FILE="/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules"
+MARKER="/opt/so/state/nic_names_pinned"
+
+log() { echo -e "[so-nic-pin] $*"; }
+
+# Echo "<name> <permanent-mac>" for every PHYSICAL NIC. A physical NIC is backed by a
+# real device (has device/driver), which excludes bond0/sobridge/docker0/veth*/lo whose
+# MACs are dynamic and must never be pinned. The PERMANENT MAC is used (ethtool -P, with
+# fallbacks), not the current one: an enslaved bond member's current MAC is rewritten to
+# the bond's, so matching on it would be wrong/ambiguous.
+physical_nics() {
+    local path n mac
+    for path in /sys/class/net/*; do
+        n="${path##*/}"
+        [ "$n" = "lo" ] && continue
+        [ -e "${path}/device/driver" ] || continue          # real device only
+        mac="$(ethtool -P "$n" 2>/dev/null | awk '/Permanent address/{print $NF}')"
+        case "$mac" in ""|00:00:00:00:00:00) mac="$(cat "${path}/bonding_slave/perm_hwaddr" 2>/dev/null)" ;; esac
+        case "$mac" in ""|00:00:00:00:00:00) mac="$(cat "${path}/address" 2>/dev/null)" ;; esac
+        case "$mac" in ""|00:00:00:00:00:00) continue ;; esac
+        echo "$n $mac"
+    done
+}
+
+# Turn "<name> <mac>" lines on stdin into classic by-MAC persistent-net udev rules.
+render_net_rules() {
+    echo "# Generated by so-nic-pin: pin NIC names by MAC so kernel upgrades can't renumber them."
+    echo "# Security Onion binds its management/monitor interfaces by name; do not hand-edit."
+    local n mac
+    while read -r n mac; do
+        [ -n "$n" ] || continue
+        printf 'SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="%s", NAME="%s"\n' \
+            "$mac" "$n"
+    done
+}
+
+[ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ] || exit 0                   # salt runs us as root; bail quietly otherwise
+[ -e "${MARKER}" ] && exit 0                      # run-once guard (mirrors the state's unless)
+
+nics="$(physical_nics)"
+if [ -z "${nics}" ]; then
+    log "no physical NICs detected — nothing to pin (will retry on next highstate)"
+    exit 0                                         # do NOT drop the marker; let it retry later
+fi
+
+log "pinning physical NICs by permanent MAC:"
+echo "${nics}" | sed 's/^/    /'
+
+[ -f "${NET_RULES_FILE}" ] && cp -f "${NET_RULES_FILE}" "${NET_RULES_FILE}.bak"
+echo "${nics}" | render_net_rules > "${NET_RULES_FILE}" || {
+    log "ERROR: failed to write ${NET_RULES_FILE}"
+    exit 1
+}
+
+mkdir -p "$(dirname "${MARKER}")" && touch "${MARKER}"
+log "wrote ${NET_RULES_FILE} ($(grep -c '^SUBSYSTEM' "${NET_RULES_FILE}") NIC(s) pinned); dropped ${MARKER}"