Medium severity · published Sep 4, 2025
CVE-2025-38727
netlink: avoid infinite retry looping in netlink_unicast()
5.5
CVSS
0.2%
EPSS
No
On KEV
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
netlink: avoid infinite retry looping in netlink_unicast()
netlink_attachskb() checks for the socket's read memory allocation
constraints. Firstly, it has:
rmem < READ_ONCE(sk->sk_rcvbuf)
to check if the just increased rmem value fits into the socket's receive
buffer. If not, it proceeds and tries to wait for the memory under:
rmem + skb->truesize > READ_ONCE(sk->sk_rcvbuf)
The checks don't cover the case when skb->truesize + sk->sk_rmem_alloc is
equal to sk->sk_rcvbuf. Thus the function neither successfully accepts
these conditions, nor manages to reschedule the task - and is called in
retry loop for indefinite time which is caught as:
rcu: INFO: rcu_sched self-detected stall on CPU
rcu: 0-....: (25999 ticks this GP) idle=ef2/1/0x4000000000000000 softirq=262269/262269 fqs=6212
(t=26000 jiffies g=230833 q=259957)
NMI backtrace for cpu 0
CPU: 0 PID: 22 Comm: kauditd Not tainted 5.10.240 #68
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.17.0-4.fc42 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
<IRQ>
dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:120
nmi_cpu_backtrace.cold lib/nmi_backtrace.c:105
nmi_trigger_cpumask_backtrace lib/nmi_backtrace.c:62
rcu_dump_cpu_stacks kernel/rcu/tree_stall.h:335
rcu_sched_clock_irq.cold kernel/rcu/tree.c:2590
update_process_times kernel/time/timer.c:1953
tick_sched_handle kernel/time/tick-sched.c:227
tick_sched_timer kernel/time/tick-sched.c:1399
__hrtimer_run_queues kernel/time/hrtimer.c:1652
hrtimer_interrupt kernel/time/hrtimer.c:1717
__sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt arch/x86/kernel/apic/apic.c:1113
asm_call_irq_on_stack arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:808
</IRQ>
netlink_attachskb net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1234
netlink_unicast net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1349
kauditd_send_queue kernel/audit.c:776
kauditd_thread kernel/audit.c:897
kthread kernel/kthread.c:328
ret_from_fork arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:304
Restore the original behavior of the check which commit in Fixes
accidentally missed when restructuring the code.
Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org).
CVSS vector
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Scope
Unchanged
Exploitation
Is it being used?
Exploit prediction (EPSS)0.2% · higher than 6% of CVEs
Exploited in the wildNo evidence yet
CISA KEVNot listed
Ransomware campaign useNot known
Affected products
Which versions
KE
Kernel · Linux
6.1.146 before 6.1.149; 6.6.99 before 6.6.103; 6.12.39 before 6.12.43; 6.15.7 before 6.15.11; 6.16.1 before 6.16.2; 5.4.296; +5 more · source: NVD
LI
Linux · Linux
9da025150b7c14a8390fc06aea314c0a4011e82c before 47d49fd07f86d1f55ea1083287303d237e9e0922; c4ceaac5c5ba0b992ee1dc88e2a02421549e5c98 before 6bee383ff83352a693d03efdf27cdd80742f71b2; fd69af06101090eaa60b3d216ae715f9c0a58e5b before f324959ad47e62e3cadaffa65d3cff790fb48529; 76602d8e13864524382b0687dc32cd8f19164d5a before d42b71a34f6b8a2d5c53df81169b03b8d8b5cf4e; 55baecb9eb90238f60a8350660d6762046ebd3bd before 346c820ef5135cf062fa3473da955ef8c5fb6929; 4b8e18af7bea92f8b7fb92d40aeae729209db250 before 44ddd7b1ae0b7edb2c832eb16798c827a05e58f0; +11 more · source: vendor
DL
Debian Linux · Debian
11.0 · source: NVD
SC
SIMATIC CN 4100 · Siemens
before V5.0 · source: CISA
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.5; V3.1.6; V3.1.7; V3.1.5; V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIMATIC S7-1500 CPU 1518F-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.5; V3.1.6; V3.1.7; V3.1.5; V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
SS
SIPLUS S7-1500 CPU 1518-4 PN/DP MFP · Siemens
V3.1.5; V3.1.6; V3.1.7 · source: CISA
References
NVD
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38727
CVE.org
https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38727
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/346c820ef5135cf062fa3473da955ef8c5fb6929
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/44ddd7b1ae0b7edb2c832eb16798c827a05e58f0
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/47d49fd07f86d1f55ea1083287303d237e9e0922
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6bee383ff83352a693d03efdf27cdd80742f71b2
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/759dfc7d04bab1b0b86113f1164dc1fec192b859
Patch
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/78fcd69d55c5f11d7694c547eca767a1cfd38ec4
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