Kernel memory disclosure and corruption via kTLS disconnect
Published May 1, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux kernel kTLS starting in 4.13 allows local users to read kernel memory, corrupt the heap, or crash the system. After a kTLS socket latches a borrowed frag_list, AF_UNSPEC disconnect frees the skbuff chain while the strparser retains it for recvmsg(). Any local user can invoke the ordinary socket sequence when the TLS module is built in or loaded, enabling disclosure and memory-corruption primitives.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux kernel kTLS starting in 4.13 allows local users to read kernel memory, corrupt the heap, or crash the system. After a kTLS socket latches a borrowed frag_list, AF_UNSPEC disconnect frees the skbuff chain while the strparser retains it for recvmsg(). Any local user can invoke the ordinary socket sequence when the TLS module is built in or loaded, enabling disclosure and memory-corruption primitives.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-37756
- Published
- May 1, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- May 1, 2025CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <2bcad8fefcecdd5f005d8c550b25d703c063c34a
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <5071a1e606b30c0c11278d3c6620cd6a24724cf6
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <7bdcf5bc35ae59fc4a0fa23276e84b4d1534a3cf
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <8513411ec321942bd3cfed53d5bb700665c67d86
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <9fcbca0f801580cbb583e9cb274e2c7fbe766ca6
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <ac91c6125468be720eafde9c973994cb45b61d44
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <c665bef891e8972e1d3ce5bbc0d42a373346a2c3
- Affected versionversion=3c4d7559159bfe1e3b94df3a657b2cda3a34e218 <f3ce4d3f874ab7919edca364c147ac735f9f1d04
- Affected versionversion=4.13
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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