ipv6: prevent infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-835.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() While testing prior patch, I was able to trigger an infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() in the following place: list_for_each_entry_rcu(sibling, &f6i->fib6_siblings, fib6_siblings) { rt6_nh_nlmsg_size(sibling->fib6_nh, &nexthop_len); } This is because fib6_del_route() and fib6_add_rt2node() uses list_del_rcu(), which can confuse rcu readers, because they might no longer see the head of the list. Restart the loop if f6i->fib6_nsiblings is zero.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 6.1.128 to before 6.1.148; 6.6.75 to before 6.6.102; 6.12.2 to before 6.12.42; 6.11.11 to before 6.12 | 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.12 | Patch available | CNA |
| Linux | Linux | 6.13 and later | 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17 | Patch available | CNA |
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.1.128 to before 6.1.148; 6.6.75 to before 6.6.102; 6.12.2 to before 6.12.42; 6.11.11 to before 6.12 Fixed in 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.12 Patch available CNA
- Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.13 and later Fixed in 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17 Patch available CNA
CPE configurations NVD · 2
| CPE | Versions | Role | Vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 6.1.128 to before 6.1.148; 6.6.75 to before 6.6.102; 6.11.11 to before 6.12; 6.12.2 to before 6.12.42; 6.13 to before 6.15.10; 6.16 to before 6.16.1 | Vulnerable | Linux |
| cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* | 11.0 | Vulnerable | Debian |
- cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 6.1.128 to before 6.1.148; 6.6.75 to before 6.6.102; 6.11.11 to before 6.12; 6.12.2 to before 6.12.42; 6.13 to before 6.15.10; 6.16 to before 6.16.1 Vulnerable ·Linux
- cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions 11.0 Vulnerable ·Debian
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.12
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.148, 6.6.102, 6.12.42, 6.15.10, 6.16.1, 6.17
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet: Fix deferred |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2025-38588
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-xmch-89f7-f57m
- 2026-11-05 CISA SSVC decision points changed
References
Patch 6
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6d345136c9b875f065d226908a29c25cdf9343f8
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e1b7932af47f92432be8303d2439d1bf77b0be23
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd8d8bbd9ced4cc5d06d858f67d4aa87745e8f38
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3c13db3e47e170bab19e574404e7b6be45ea873d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/46aeb66e9e54ed0d56c18615e1c3dbd502b327ab
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/54e6fe9dd3b0e7c481c2228782c9494d653546da
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- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2025-38588 · CVE Program
- CVE-2025-38588 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-xmch-89f7-f57m · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2025-38588 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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