CVE-2025-38638

Published Aug 22, 2025

Last updated a year ago

Overview

Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: add a retry logic in net6_rt_notify() inet6_rt_notify() can be called under RCU protection only. This means the route could be changed concurrently and rt6_fill_node() could return -EMSGSIZE. Re-size the skb when this happens and retry, removing one WARN_ON() that syzbot was able to trigger: WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 6291 at net/ipv6/route.c:6342 inet6_rt_notify+0x475/0x4b0 net/ipv6/route.c:6342 Modules linked in: CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 6291 Comm: syz.0.77 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc7-syzkaller #0 PREEMPT(full) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2~bpo12+1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:inet6_rt_notify+0x475/0x4b0 net/ipv6/route.c:6342 Code: fc ff ff e8 6d 52 ea f7 e9 47 fc ff ff 48 8b 7c 24 08 4c 89 04 24 e8 5a 52 ea f7 4c 8b 04 24 e9 94 fd ff ff e8 9c fe 84 f7 90 <0f> 0b 90 e9 bd fd ff ff e8 6e 52 ea f7 e9 bb fb ff ff 48 89 df e8 RSP: 0018:ffffc900035cf1d8 EFLAGS: 00010293 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffffc900035cf540 RCX: ffffffff8a36e790 RDX: ffff88802f7e8000 RSI: ffffffff8a36e9d4 RDI: 0000000000000005 RBP: ffff88803c230f00 R08: 0000000000000005 R09: 00000000ffffffa6 R10: 00000000ffffffa6 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 00000000ffffffa6 R13: 0000000000000900 R14: ffff888032ea4100 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007fac7b89a6c0(0000) GS:ffff8880d6a20000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007fac7b899f98 CR3: 0000000034b3f000 CR4: 0000000000352ef0 Call Trace: <TASK> ip6_route_mpath_notify+0xde/0x280 net/ipv6/route.c:5356 ip6_route_multipath_add+0x1181/0x1bd0 net/ipv6/route.c:5536 inet6_rtm_newroute+0xe4/0x1a0 net/ipv6/route.c:5647 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x95e/0xe90 net/core/rtnetlink.c:6944 netlink_rcv_skb+0x155/0x420 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2552 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1320 [inline] netlink_unicast+0x58d/0x850 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1346 netlink_sendmsg+0x8d1/0xdd0 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1896 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:712 [inline] __sock_sendmsg net/socket.c:727 [inline] ____sys_sendmsg+0xa95/0xc70 net/socket.c:2566 ___sys_sendmsg+0x134/0x1d0 net/socket.c:2620
Source
416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
NVD status
Analyzed
Products
linux_kernel

Risk scores

CVSS 3.1

Type
Primary
Base score
5.5
Impact score
3.6
Exploitability score
1.8
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Severity
MEDIUM

Weaknesses

nvd@nist.gov
NVD-CWE-noinfo

Social media

Hype score
Not currently trending

Configurations

  1. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cgroup: Avoid iteration of dying tasks with zero refcount The commit 260fbcb92bbea ("cgroup: Move dying_tasks cleanup from cgroup_task_release() to cgroup_task_free()") extended the lifetime of tasks on the dying_tasks list. The iterators have provision to go through dying_tasks because of dying threadgroup leaders or explicit CSS_TASK_ITER_WITH_DEAD, however, it was expected that such tasks can obtain a new reference (that is possible before cgroup_task_release()/put_task_struct_rcu_user()). The tasks after cgroup_task_release() and before cgroup_task_free() are subject to race when they may or may not have ->usage count > 0. The race window is between css_task_iter_next() invocations when css_set_lock is released and we may arrive at a new ->task_pos. The iterator should not attempt to resurrect tasks whose ->usage count dropped to zero. (When that happens, __put_task_struct_rcu_cb() is already imminent and the returned task_struct would could be used after free.) As for the fix, we cannot simply check the signal->live count of a task on the dying list because that won't distinguish regular zombies waiting to be reaped from RCU remnant tasks that are going to be free'd. Therefore add an extra check to rule out ->usage==0 tasks from any iteration. The repeat: loop in css_task_iter_advance() doesn't consider ->usage count, so add a new loop to css_task_iter_next() to skip de-used tasks on the dying_list. Rough illustration of the possible race R (reader of cgroup.procs) T (thread) L (group leader) --------------------------------- -------------------------------- -------------------------------- L exits, signal->live > 0 cgroup_task_dead(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // skips only cset->tasks list_add_tail(&L->cg_list, &cset->dying_tasks) css_task_iter_next() take css_set_lock css_task_iter_advance() leader && signal->live != 0 => it->task_pos = &L->cg_list release css_set_lock T exits --signal->live == 0 cgroup_task_dead(T) // css_set_lock release_task(T) cgroup_task_release(T) release_task(L) // zap_leader cgroup_task_release(L) put_task_struct_rcu_user(L) ...RCU... put_task_struct(L) L->usage = 0 /* L still on dying_tasks */ ...RCU... __put_task_struct(L) css_task_iter_next() // another iteration take css_set_lock it->task_pos = &L->cg_list get_task_struct(L) => addition on 0 drop css_set_lock cgroup_task_free(L) css_set_skip_task_iters() // dying skip comes too late free_task(L) cgroup_procs_show() task_pid_vnr(L)•CVE-2026-98163