CVE-2025-38525

MEDIUM
Published Aug 16, 2025 Modified Nov 18, 2025

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix irq-disabled in local_bh_enable() The rxrpc_assess_MTU_size() function calls down into the IP layer to find out the MTU size for a route. When accepting an incoming call, this is called from rxrpc_new_incoming_call() which holds interrupts disabled across the code that calls down to it. Unfortunately, the IP layer uses local_bh_enable() which, config dependent, throws a warning if IRQs are enabled: WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 5544 at kernel/softirq.c:387 __local_bh_enable_ip+0x43/0xd0 ... RIP: 0010:__local_bh_enable_ip+0x43/0xd0 ... Call Trace: <TASK> rt_cache_route+0x7e/0xa0 rt_set_nexthop.isra.0+0x3b3/0x3f0 __mkroute_output+0x43a/0x460 ip_route_output_key_hash+0xf7/0x140 ip_route_output_flow+0x1b/0x90 rxrpc_assess_MTU_size.isra.0+0x2a0/0x590 rxrpc_new_incoming_peer+0x46/0x120 rxrpc_alloc_incoming_call+0x1b1/0x400 rxrpc_new_incoming_call+0x1da/0x5e0 rxrpc_input_packet+0x827/0x900 rxrpc_io_thread+0x403/0xb60 kthread+0x2f7/0x310 ret_from_fork+0x2a/0x230 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 ... hardirqs last enabled at (23): _raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x24/0x50 hardirqs last disabled at (24): _raw_read_lock_irq+0x17/0x70 softirqs last enabled at (0): copy_process+0xc61/0x2730 softirqs last disabled at (25): rt_add_uncached_list+0x3c/0x90 Fix this by moving the call to rxrpc_assess_MTU_size() out of rxrpc_init_peer() and further up the stack where it can be done without interrupts disabled. It shouldn't be a problem for rxrpc_new_incoming_call() to do it after the locks are dropped as pmtud is going to be performed by the I/O thread - and we're in the I/O thread at this point.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38525? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: rxrpc: Fix irq-disabled in local_bh_enable() The rxrpc_assess_MTU_size() function calls down into the IP layer to find out the MTU size for a route. When accepting an incoming call, this is called from rxrpc_new_incoming_call() which holds interrupts disabled across the code that calls down to it. Unfortunately, the IP layer uses local_bh_enable() which, config dependent, throws a warning if IRQs are enabled: WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 5544 at kernel/softirq.c:387 __local_bh_enable_ip+0x43/0xd0 ... RIP: 0010:__local_bh_enable_ip+0x43/0xd0 ... Call Trace: <TASK> rt_cache_route+0x7e/0xa0 rt_set_nexthop.isra.0+0x3b3/0x3f0 __mkroute_output+0x43a/0x460 ip_route_output_key_hash+0xf7/0x140 ip_route_output_flow+0x1b/0x90 rxrpc_assess_MTU_size.isra.0+0x2a0/0x590 rxrpc_new_incoming_peer+0x46/0x120 rxrpc_alloc_incoming_call+0x1b1/0x400 rxrpc_new_incoming_call+0x1da/0x5e0 rxrpc_input_packet+0x827/0x900 rxrpc_io_thread+0x403/0xb60 kthread+0x2f7/0x310 ret_from_fork+0x2a/0x230 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 ... hardirqs last enabled at (23): _raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x24/0x50 hardirqs last disabled at (24): _raw_read_lock_irq+0x17/0x70 softirqs last enabled at (0): copy_process+0xc61/0x2730 softirqs last disabled at (25): rt_add_uncached_list+0x3c/0x90 Fix this by moving the call to rxrpc_assess_MTU_size() out of rxrpc_init_peer() and further up the stack where it can be done without interrupts disabled. It shouldn't be a problem for rxrpc_new_incoming_call() to do it after the locks are dropped as pmtud is going to be performed by the I/O thread - and we're in the I/O thread at this point. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2025-38525? +
CVE-2025-38525 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-38525? +
CVE-2025-38525 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2025-38525? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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