CVE-2025-38616: linux kernel Out-of-bounds Read — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: handle data disappearing from under the TLS ULP TLS expects that it owns the receive queue of the TCP socket. This cannot be guaranteed in case the reader of the TCP socket entered before the TLS ULP was installed, or uses some non-standard read API (eg. zerocopy ones). Replace the WARN_ON() and a buggy early exit (which leaves anchor pointing to a freed skb) with real error handling. Wipe the parsing state and tell the reader to retry. We already reload the anchor every time we (re)acquire the socket lock, so the only condition we need to avoid is an out of bounds read (not having enough bytes in the socket for previously parsed record len). If some data was read from under TLS but there's enough in the queue we'll reload and decrypt what is most likely not a valid TLS record. Leading to some undefined behavior from TLS perspective (corrupting a stream? missing an alert? missing an attack?) but no kernel crash should take place.

Is your site exposed to CVE-2025-38616?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

CVSS v3.1 Score

7.1

HIGH

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

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-125 Out-of-bounds Read

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.0 — 6.6.103
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.12.43
linux	linux_kernel	6.13 — 6.15.11
linux	linux_kernel	6.16 — 6.16.2
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2fb97ed9e2672b4f6e24ce206ac1a875ce4bcb38 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6db015fc4b5d5f63a64a193f65d98da3a7fc811d https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db3658a12d5ec4db7185ae7476151a50521b7207 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eb0336f213fe88bbdb7d2b19c9c9ec19245a3155 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f1fe99919f629f980d0b8a7ff16950bffe06a859

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-38616? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: handle data disappearing from under the TLS ULP TLS expects that it owns the receive queue of the TCP socket. This cannot be guaranteed in case the reader of the TCP socket entered before the TLS ULP was installed, or uses some non-standard read API (eg. zerocopy ones). Replace the WARN_ON() and a buggy early exit (which leaves anchor pointing to a freed skb) with real error handling. Wipe the parsing state and tell the reader to retry. We already reload the anchor every time we (re)acquire the socket lock, so the only condition we need to avoid is an out of bounds read (not having enough bytes in the socket for previously parsed record len). If some data was read from under TLS but there's enough in the queue we'll reload and decrypt what is most likely not a valid TLS record. Leading to some undefined behavior from TLS perspective (corrupting a stream? missing an alert? missing an attack?) but no kernel crash should take place. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 7.1 (HIGH).

How severe is CVE-2025-38616? +

CVE-2025-38616 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.1 out of 10, rated HIGH. This is a high-severity vulnerability that should be prioritized for patching.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38616? +

CVE-2025-38616 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-2025-38616? +

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.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-29013

libcoap contains out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities in OSCORE Appendix B.2 CBOR unwrap handling where get_byte_inc() in src/oscore/oscore_cbor.c relies solely on assert() …

CVE-2026-3508

An Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in the IOCTL handler in ASUS System Control Interface allows a local user to cause system …

CVE-2025-48520

An improper input validation vulnerability within the AMD Platform Management Framework (PMF) driver can allow a local attacker to read …

CVE-2026-3894

Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability in RTI Connext Professional (Core Libraries) allows Overread Buffers.This issue affects Connext Professional: from 7.4.0 before 7.7.0, …

CVE-2025-4098

Horner Automation Cscape version 10.0 (10.0.415.2) SP1 is vulnerable to an out-of-bounds read vulnerability that could allow an attacker to …

CVE-2025-49849

An Out-of-bounds Read vulnerability exists within the parsing of PRJ files. The issues result from the lack of proper validation …

CVE-2025-38616