VulnerabilityPublished 19 Aug 2025Updated 5 Nov 2026

CVE-2025-38588: Linux kernel · ipv6: prevent infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size()

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in e1b7932af47f92432be8303d2439d1bf77b0be23 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 23:23 UTC

Severity

Unrated

Rated by Threat Radar · No CVSS score from NVD or the CNA

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

EPSS

0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 6% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.

Exploitation: No evidence of active exploitation and no public proof of concept
Automatable: Attackers cannot reliably automate steps 1–4 of the kill chain
Technical impact: Limited control over the software or limited information exposure

CISA SSVC assessment, 2026-11-05.

Patch

Available – fixed in e1b7932af47f92432be8303d2439d1bf77b0be23, cd8d8bbd9ced4cc5d06d858f67d4aa87745e8f38, 54e6fe9dd3b0e7c481c2228782c9494d653546da +7

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 19 Aug 2025
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors

A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 5 Nov 2026.

Disclosed: The CVE record is public on cve.org. Its publication is t = 0.
Detectable: A public nuclei template can find exposed instances, for defenders and attackers alike.
Weaponized: A Metasploit exploit module or Exploit-DB entry exists (Metasploit scanner modules do not count), or CISA SSVC or the CVSS exploit maturity reports a public proof of concept.
Exploited in the wild: CISA KEV lists it, CISA SSVC rates exploitation active, or a source reports attacks.
Observed by OffSeq Mirage: OffSeq Mirage honeypot sensors recorded attack traffic for this CVE, or found exposed hosts without attack traffic.

Moments are spaced evenly, not to scale; a dashed line marks a gap of six months or more. Deltas count from t = 0. Sources that give only a date (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, or a time of exactly 00:00Z) read “same day” rather than hours. Metasploit modules carry the flaw’s disclosure date, not their release date, and nuclei templates carry no date, so both appear above but not on the timeline.

What to do

Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected >=6.1.128 <6.1.148 >=6.6.75 <6.6.102 >=6.12.2 <6.12.42 >=6.11.11 <6.12	Fixed in e1b7932af47f92432be8303d2439d1bf77b0be23 cd8d8bbd9ced4cc5d06d858f67d4aa87745e8f38 54e6fe9dd3b0e7c481c2228782c9494d653546da 46aeb66e9e54ed0d56c18615e1c3dbd502b327ab 6d345136c9b875f065d226908a29c25cdf9343f8 6.12.42 6.12 6.6.102 6.1.148 3c13db3e47e170bab19e574404e7b6be45ea873d
LinuxLinux	Affected =6.13	Fixed in–

Description

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.

References

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