VulnerabilityPublished 23 Jan 2026Updated 5 Nov 2026

CVE-2025-71160: Linux kernel · netfilter: nf_tables: avoid chain re-validation if possible

Affects Linux kernelSource CVE Database V5

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Not known to be exploited · fixed in 53de1e6cde8f9b791d9cf61aa0e7b02cf5bbe8b1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.

Data as of 5 Nov 2026, 21:49 UTC

Severity

Unrated

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

Thin evidence

One scorer or none

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 53de1e6cde8f9b791d9cf61aa0e7b02cf5bbe8b1, 14fa3d1927f1382f86e3f70a51f26005c8e3cff6, 09d6074995c186e449979fe6c1b0f1a69cf9bd3b +1

Exploitation evidence

Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 23 Jan 2026
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 Linux kernel to 53de1e6cde8f9b791d9cf61aa0e7b02cf5bbe8b1, 14fa3d1927f1382f86e3f70a51f26005c8e3cff6, 09d6074995c186e449979fe6c1b0f1a69cf9bd3b or 8e1a1bc4f5a42747c08130b8242ebebd1210b32f.

Affected software

Product	Affected	Fixed in
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ a654de8fdc1815676ab750e70cab231fc814c29f, < 53de1e6cde8f9b791d9cf61aa0e7b02cf5bbe8b1	Fixed in 53de1e6cde8f9b791d9cf61aa0e7b02cf5bbe8b1
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ a654de8fdc1815676ab750e70cab231fc814c29f, < 14fa3d1927f1382f86e3f70a51f26005c8e3cff6	Fixed in 14fa3d1927f1382f86e3f70a51f26005c8e3cff6
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ a654de8fdc1815676ab750e70cab231fc814c29f, < 09d6074995c186e449979fe6c1b0f1a69cf9bd3b	Fixed in 09d6074995c186e449979fe6c1b0f1a69cf9bd3b
LinuxLinux	Affected ≥ a654de8fdc1815676ab750e70cab231fc814c29f, < 8e1a1bc4f5a42747c08130b8242ebebd1210b32f	Fixed in 8e1a1bc4f5a42747c08130b8242ebebd1210b32f
LinuxLinux	Affected =4.18	Fixed in–

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_tables: avoid chain re-validation if possible Hamza Mahfooz reports cpu soft lock-ups in nft_chain_validate(): watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#1 stuck for 27s! [iptables-nft-re:37547] [..] RIP: 0010:nft_chain_validate+0xcb/0x110 [nf_tables] [..] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_immediate_validate+0x36/0x50 [nf_tables] nft_chain_validate+0xc9/0x110 [nf_tables] nft_table_validate+0x6b/0xb0 [nf_tables] nf_tables_validate+0x8b/0xa0 [nf_tables] nf_tables_commit+0x1df/0x1eb0 [nf_tables] [..] Currently nf_tables will traverse the entire table (chain graph), starting from the entry points (base chains), exploring all possible paths (chain jumps). But there are cases where we could avoid revalidation. Consider: 1 input -> j2 -> j3 2 input -> j2 -> j3 3 input -> j1 -> j2 -> j3 Then the second rule does not need to revalidate j2, and, by extension j3, because this was already checked during validation of the first rule. We need to validate it only for rule 3. This is needed because chain loop detection also ensures we do not exceed the jump stack: Just because we know that j2 is cycle free, its last jump might now exceed the allowed stack size. We also need to update all reachable chains with the new largest observed call depth. Care has to be taken to revalidate even if the chain depth won't be an issue: chain validation also ensures that expressions are not called from invalid base chains. For example, the masquerade expression can only be called from NAT postrouting base chains. Therefore we also need to keep record of the base chain context (type, hooknum) and revalidate if the chain becomes reachable from a different hook location.

References

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