CVE-2025-38638

Medium

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

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2025-08-22
Last modified 2025-11-26
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

out of 10
Medium
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
Low
Integrity
None
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 6.16 and later are affected. Fixed in 6.16.1, 6.17 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 6.16
Fixed in
✓ 6.16.1 6.16.x ✓ 6.17

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2025-38638 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2025-38638?

    CVE-2025-38638 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 . It affects Linux kernel versions from 6.16 onward and has been patched in 6.16.1 and 6.17. CVE-2025-38638 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2025-38638?

    CVE-2025-38638 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2025-38638?

    Yes — CVE-2025-38638 has been patched. Fixed versions include 6.16.1 and 6.17. If you are running Linux kernel 6.16 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2025-38638 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2025-38638 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

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