CVE-2025-71113: Linux kernel · crypto: af_alg – zero initialize memory allocated via sock_kmalloc
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Mentioned vulnerabilities
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 5.15.0-1103.110~20.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 12:55 UTC
- EPSS
- 0.1% chance of exploitation in 30 days – higher than 4% of CVEsExploit Prediction Scoring System: the likelihood attackers will use this flaw soon.
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.15.0-1103.110~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1110.119~20.04.1, 5.15.0-1103.112~20.04.1 +74
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 14 Jan 2026
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Patches and advisories
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8116-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8141-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8163-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8163-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-2 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 25.10linuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-azure-fdepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-fde?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in– |
Ubuntu 25.10linux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 25.10linux-oraclepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-oracle?arch=source&distro=questingOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: af_alg - zero initialize memory allocated via sock_kmalloc Several crypto user API contexts and requests allocated with sock_kmalloc() were left uninitialized, relying on callers to set fields explicitly. This resulted in the use of uninitialized data in certain error paths or when new fields are added in the future. The ACVP patches also contain two user-space interface files: algif_kpp.c and algif_akcipher.c. These too rely on proper initialization of their context structures. A particular issue has been observed with the newly added 'inflight' variable introduced in af_alg_ctx by commit: 67b164a871af ("crypto: af_alg - Disallow multiple in-flight AIO requests") Because the context is not memset to zero after allocation, the inflight variable has contained garbage values. As a result, af_alg_alloc_areq() has incorrectly returned -EBUSY randomly when the garbage value was interpreted as true: https://github.com/gregkh/linux/blame/master/crypto/af_alg.c#L1209 The check directly tests ctx->inflight without explicitly comparing against true/false. Since inflight is only ever set to true or false later, an uninitialized value has triggered -EBUSY failures. Zero-initializing memory allocated with sock_kmalloc() ensures inflight and other fields start in a known state, removing random issues caused by uninitialized data.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2025-71113 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71113 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/51a5ab36084f3251ef87eda3e6a6236f6488925e (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/5a4b65523608974a81edbe386f8a667a3e10c726 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f6e309328d53a10c0fe1f77dec2db73373179b6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/84238876e3b3b262cf62d5f4d1338e983fb27010 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f81244fd6b14fecfa93b66b6bb1d59f96554e550 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8116-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8096-5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8141-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8163-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8163-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8179-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8177-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8183-1 (opens in a new tab)