TI-2026-50609 Aliases CVE-2026-72330 GHSA-744x-88r4-xj59

net/tls: Consume empty data records in tls_sw_read_sock()

MEDIUM 40Published 2026-08-15 · Updated 2026-10-16

Key facts

Attack vector: Network
Privileges required: None
User interaction: None
Attack complexity: Low
Impact type: —
Confidentiality · integrity · availability: None · None · High
Fix status: Partial Red Hat: 2 without a fix

Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · CNA. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.

Summary

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/tls: Consume empty data records in tls_sw_read_sock() A peer may send a zero-length TLS application_data record; TLS 1.3 explicitly permits these as a traffic-analysis countermeasure (RFC 8446, Section 5.1). After decryption such a record has full_len == 0. tls_sw_read_sock() hands it to the read_actor, which has no payload to consume and returns zero. The loop treats a zero return as backpressure (used <= 0), requeues the skb at the head of rx_list, and stops. rx_list is serviced head-first on the next call, so the empty record is dequeued, fails the same way, and is requeued again; every later record on the connection is blocked behind it. tls_sw_recvmsg() does not stall on this: a zero-length data record copies nothing and falls through to consume_skb(). Mirror that in the read_sock() path by recognizing an empty data record before the actor runs, consuming it, and continuing.

Why it matters now

Exploitation None reported CISA SSVC · not in CISA KEV

EPSS 0.00622 50th percentileScored 2026-11-07

Fix Partial Linux (Linux): 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40 +2Red Hat: 2 without a fix

SSVC decision points

CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3

Exploitation: None
Automatable: Yes
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	6.6 and later	6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2	Patch available	CNA

Linux VendorLinux Affected 6.6 and later Fixed in 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2 Patch available CNA

CPE names Threatist (inferred) · 1

Inferred from how NVD named this product before; not given by a source.

CPE	Versions	Role	Vendor
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel::::::::	—	—	Linux

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* Versions — — ·Linux

Remediation

Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.6.145, 6.12.97, 6.18.40, 7.1.5, 7.2

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 9	Affected	No fix yet: Fix deferred

Not affected: 4 products

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9

Timeline

2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2026-72330
2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-744x-88r4-xj59
2026-10-16 CISA SSVC decision points changed
2026-10-16 Priority changed: LOW → MEDIUM
2026-10-29 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
2026-11-07 EPSS moved to the 50th–90th percentile

References

Other 5

TI-2025-26358 tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list KEVCVSS 3.1CRITICAL 9.8
TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2021-02452 Incorrect authorization in Ubuntu linux kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
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

See all 21741 →

Sources

This product uses the NVD API but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. Sources and licences