Cloudanix VulnDB

CVE-2025-38165

None

CVSS

—

EPSS

0.4%

Published

Jul 3, 2025

CISA due date

—

Cloudanix analysis

Next patch cycle SSVC: Track

A bug in the Linux kernel can cause the entire system to crash when handling certain network socket operations with large data streams.

Exploitation
Local Privilege
Attacker needs
Local User
Complexity
Moderate
Impact
Denial Of Service
Component
OS kernel
Class
Race Condition
Remediation
Upgrade
Effort
Medium
Patch risk
Low

What it actually does

Race condition in Linux kernel BPF sockmap causes BUG_ON(skb_shared(skb)) panic inside skb_linearize when strparser aggregates large payloads exceeding MAX_MSG_FRAGS and sk_psock_backlog performs concurrent skb operations.

Why it matters to the business

Systems running affected kernels may experience sudden kernel panics and reboots during high-volume socket operations using BPF sockmap, leading to service disruption and potential data loss in network-heavy workloads.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker triggers the vulnerable code path by sending a stream of data that forces the strparser to buffer beyond 100KB on a sockmap-enabled socket; the resulting skb_linearize call in sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue hits the shared skb assertion because skb_get was incorrectly placed in the backlog handler.

How to fix it

Upgrade Linux kernel to a fixed version such as 5.15.190 or apply the commit that moves skb_get into sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue with the take_ref parameter; rebuild and reboot affected systems.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm kernel version is at or above the listed fixed releases; reproduce the bench sockmap command with --rx-strp 100000 and verify absence of the pskb_expand_head BUG; inspect sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue for the conditional skb_get call.

Typical attack path

  1. Establish connection to sockmap-enabled socket
  2. Send traffic sized to exceed MAX_MSG_FRAGS via strparser path
  3. Trigger sk_psock_backlog processing
  4. Force skb_linearize execution
  5. Induce kernel BUG and panic

How to detect it

Search kernel logs for 'kernel BUG at net/core/skbuff.c:2178' and 'pskb_expand_head' stack traces originating from sk_psock_backlog; correlate with sockmap or strparser usage in system call traces.

What your security team should do

  • Prioritize patching kernel packages on all systems using BPF sockmap or strparser
  • Monitor for kernel oops in net/core/skbuff.c and sk_psock_backlog workqueue
  • Temporarily disable sockmap verdict programs if immediate reboot is not feasible

The record

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf, sockmap: Fix panic when calling skb_linearize The panic can be reproduced by executing the command: ./bench sockmap -c 2 -p 1 -a --rx-verdict-ingress --rx-strp 100000 Then a kernel panic was captured: ''' [ 657.460555] kernel BUG at net/core/skbuff.c:2178! [ 657.462680] Tainted: [W]=WARN [ 657.463287] Workqueue: events sk_psock_backlog ... [ 657.469610] <TASK> [ 657.469738] ? die+0x36/0x90 [ 657.469916] ? do_trap+0x1d0/0x270 [ 657.470118] ? pskb_expand_head+0x612/0xf40 [ 657.470376] ? pskb_expand_head+0x612/0xf40 [ 657.470620] ? do_error_trap+0xa3/0x170 [ 657.470846] ? pskb_expand_head+0x612/0xf40 [ 657.471092] ? handle_invalid_op+0x2c/0x40 [ 657.471335] ? pskb_expand_head+0x612/0xf40 [ 657.471579] ? exc_invalid_op+0x2d/0x40 [ 657.471805] ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x1a/0x20 [ 657.472052] ? pskb_expand_head+0xd1/0xf40 [ 657.472292] ? pskb_expand_head+0x612/0xf40 [ 657.472540] ? lock_acquire+0x18f/0x4e0 [ 657.472766] ? find_held_lock+0x2d/0x110 [ 657.472999] ? __pfx_pskb_expand_head+0x10/0x10 [ 657.473263] ? __kmalloc_cache_noprof+0x5b/0x470 [ 657.473537] ? __pfx___lock_release.isra.0+0x10/0x10 [ 657.473826] __pskb_pull_tail+0xfd/0x1d20 [ 657.474062] ? __kasan_slab_alloc+0x4e/0x90 [ 657.474707] sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue+0x3bf/0x510 [ 657.475392] ? __kasan_kmalloc+0xaa/0xb0 [ 657.476010] sk_psock_backlog+0x5cf/0xd70 [ 657.476637] process_one_work+0x858/0x1a20 ''' The panic originates from the assertion BUG_ON(skb_shared(skb)) in skb_linearize(). A previous commit(see Fixes tag) introduced skb_get() to avoid race conditions between skb operations in the backlog and skb release in the recvmsg path. However, this caused the panic to always occur when skb_linearize is executed. The "--rx-strp 100000" parameter forces the RX path to use the strparser module which aggregates data until it reaches 100KB before calling sockmap logic. The 100KB payload exceeds MAX_MSG_FRAGS, triggering skb_linearize. To fix this issue, just move skb_get into sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue. ''' sk_psock_backlog: sk_psock_handle_skb skb_get(skb) <== we move it into 'sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue' sk_psock_skb_ingress____________ ↓ | | → sk_psock_skb_ingress_self | sk_psock_skb_ingress_enqueue sk_psock_verdict_apply_________________↑ skb_linearize ''' Note that for verdict_apply path, the skb_get operation is unnecessary so we add 'take_ref' param to control it's behavior.

Affected packages

Ecosystem Package Introduced Fixed
Debian:12 linux 0 No fix
Debian:13 linux 0 No fix
Debian:14 linux 0 6.12.35-1
Linux Kernel 0 5.15.190
Mageia:9 kernel 0 6.6.101-1.mga9
Mageia:9 kernel-linus 0 6.6.101-1.mga9
Mageia:9 kmod-virtualbox 0 7.1.10-7.mga9
Mageia:9 kmod-xtables-addons 0 3.24-83.mga9
Mageia:9 wireless-regdb 0 20250710-1.mga9
SUSE:Linux Enterprise High Availability Extension 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6-RT_Update_14 0 1-150600.1.5.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_14 0 1-150600.13.3.4
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_3 0 1-150700.1.5.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-64kb 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-default-base 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1.150600.12.28.4
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Basesystem 15 SP6 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Confidential Computing Technical Preview 15 SP6 kernel-coco 0 6.4.0-15061.28.coco15sp6.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Confidential Computing Technical Preview 15 SP6 kernel-coco_debug 0 6.4.0-15061.28.coco15sp6.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Confidential Computing Technical Preview 15 SP6 kernel-source-coco 0 6.4.0-15061.28.coco15sp6.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Confidential Computing Technical Preview 15 SP6 kernel-syms-coco 0 6.4.0-15061.28.coco15sp6.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-docs 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-obs-build 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Development Tools 15 SP6 kernel-syms 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Legacy 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-source-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Module for Public Cloud 15 SP6 kernel-syms-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
SUSE:Linux Enterprise Workstation Extension 15 SP6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-rt_debug 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-source-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP6 kernel-syms-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP7 kernel-rt 0 6.4.0-150700.7.13.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP7 kernel-source-rt 0 6.4.0-150700.7.13.1
SUSE:Real Time Module 15 SP7 kernel-syms-rt 0 6.4.0-150700.7.13.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 dtb-aarch64 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-64kb 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-debug 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-default 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-default-base 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1.150600.12.28.4
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-docs 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-kvmsmall 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-obs-build 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-obs-qa 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-rt_debug 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-source-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms-azure 0 6.4.0-150600.8.48.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-syms-rt 0 6.4.0-150600.10.49.1
openSUSE:Leap 15.6 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.4.0-150600.23.65.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 dtb-aarch64 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-64kb 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-default 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-default-base 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1.160000.2.4
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-docs 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-kvmsmall 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-obs-build 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-obs-qa 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-rt 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-source 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-syms 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1
openSUSE:Leap 16.0 kernel-zfcpdump 0 6.12.0-160000.6.1

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