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NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

CVE-2025-38732: netfilter: nf_reject: don't leak dst refcount for loopback packets

Noroxi assessment

Priority: Monitor (action score 22/100)

  • The sources we track (CISA KEV, Exploit-DB, Metasploit, Nuclei, GitHub) show no public exploit code or exploitation in the wild.
  • Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days: 0.18% (FIRST EPSS).
  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it. A low-privileged account is enough. No user action is required. No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.
  • Fixed version: Linux Linux 51e8531371f90bee742c63775c9a568e5d6bf3c5, 7b8b503c06274ef3c6c1a107743f1ec0d0a53ef8, 82ef97abf22790182f7d433c74960dfd61b99c33; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1; cbl2 kernel 5.15.186.1-1 on CBL Mariner 2.0 5.15.200.1-1.

Low priority for now. Upgrade to Linux Linux 51e8531371f90bee742c63775c9a568e5d6bf3c5, 7b8b503c06274ef3c6c1a107743f1ec0d0a53ef8, 82ef97abf22790182f7d433c74960dfd61b99c33; azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.0 6.6.104.2-1; cbl2 kernel 5.15.186.1-1 on CBL Mariner 2.0 5.15.200.1-1 or later.

Generated automatically from the record's data: CVSS (NVD and CNA), CISA KEV and SSVC, FIRST EPSS, exploit sources, fixed versions. How we calculate it

Primary sources: NVD · CVE.org · FIRST EPSS

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: nf_reject: don't leak dst refcount for loopback packets recent patches to add a WARN() when replacing skb dst entry found an old bug: WARNING: include/linux/skbuff.h:1165 skb_dst_check_unset include/linux/skbuff.h:1164 [inline] WARNING: include/linux/skbuff.h:1165 skb_dst_set include/linux/skbuff.h:1210 [inline] WARNING: include/linux/skbuff.h:1165 nf_reject_fill_skb_dst+0x2a4/0x330 net/ipv4/netfilter/nf_reject_ipv4.c:234 [..] Call Trace: nf_send_unreach+0x17b/0x6e0 net/ipv4/netfilter/nf_reject_ipv4.c:325 nft_reject_inet_eval+0x4bc/0x690 net/netfilter/nft_reject_inet.c:27 expr_call_ops_eval net/netfilter/nf_tables_core.c:237 [inline] .. This is because blamed commit forgot about loopback packets. Such packets already have a dst_entry attached, even at PRE_ROUTING stage. Instead of checking hook just check if the skb already has a route attached to it.

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Sep 5, 2025
Updated
Nov 5, 2026
EPSS
0.1% · 7th percentile
CWE
—

Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.1%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

Get told when this record changes

  • Not in KEV: no record of exploitation in the wild
  • No public exploit code on record
  • A fix has been released

If any of these changes, we'll tell you in the daily email digest.

Follow CVE-2025-38732

When you'll hear from us

  • when it enters CISA KEV
  • when exploit code appears or is weaponized
  • when the record is updated (including a fixed version)
  • when EPSS rises 20 points in a week

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Noroxi analysis

What does it mean in your environment?

The assessment above is generated automatically from the record's data; it doesn't know your environment. Our team verifies on your systems whether this vulnerability is actually exploitable and which mitigation is enough.

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Affected systems

Is your version affected?

Pick the product and type the version you run. It's compared with this record's version ranges in your browser; the version isn't sent anywhere.

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel
debiandebian linux

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • debian debian linux11.0
  • linux linux kernel5.11 and later · before 5.15.190
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.149
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.6.103
  • linux linux kernel5.9 and later · before 5.10.241
  • linux linux kernel6.13 and later · before 6.16.4
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.12.44
  • linux linux kernel6.17

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 5.9affected
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before 7b8b503c06274ef3c6c1a107743f1ec0d0a53ef8affected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before 82ef97abf22790182f7d433c74960dfd61b99c33affected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before b7a885ba25960c91db237c3f83b4285156789bceaffected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before a0a3ace2a57887dac1e7c9a724846040c3e31868affected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before 51e8531371f90bee742c63775c9a568e5d6bf3c5affected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before b32e1590a8d22cf7d7f965e46d5576051acf8e42affected · git
    • f53b9b0bdc59c0823679f2e3214e0d538f5951b9 and later · before 91a79b792204313153e1bdbbe5acbfc28903b3a5affected · git
    • before 5.9not affected · semver
    • 5.10.241 and later · up to and including 5.10.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.153-16.1.153-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.12.48-16.12.48-1
Debian:14linuxbefore 6.16.5-16.16.5-1

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

  • CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
    90Now
  • CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38730Sep 4, 2025 · io_uring/net: commit partial buffers on retry
    31Monitor
  • ← EarlierCVE-2025-38731Sep 5, 2025 · drm/xe: Fix vm_bind_ioctl double free bug
    31Monitor
  • Later →CVE-2025-38733Sep 5, 2025 · s390/mm: Do not map lowcore with identity mapping
    22Monitor

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux51e8531371f90bee742c63775c9a568e5d6bf3c5Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux7b8b503c06274ef3c6c1a107743f1ec0d0a53ef8Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux82ef97abf22790182f7d433c74960dfd61b99c33Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux91a79b792204313153e1bdbbe5acbfc28903b3a5Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxa0a3ace2a57887dac1e7c9a724846040c3e31868Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxb32e1590a8d22cf7d7f965e46d5576051acf8e42Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxb7a885ba25960c91db237c3f83b4285156789bceVendor (CNA)
azl3 kernel 6.6.96.2-2 on Azure Linux 3.06.6.104.2-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
cbl2 kernel 5.15.186.1-1 on CBL Mariner 2.05.15.200.1-1 · CBL-Mariner ReleasesMicrosoft (MSRC)
debian:linux6.1.153-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

No history yet (it accumulates with the daily EPSS job).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

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

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Change log

  1. SSVC exploitation— → none
  2. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

All records