Service interruption via TCP allocation overflow
Published Jul 25, 2025 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Integer overflow in the Linux kernel allows local users to interrupt service through crafted TCP socket writes. In net/ipv4/tcp.c, unsigned promotion makes size_goal minus skb->len a large positive value, causing tcp_wmem_schedule() to overflow sk_forward_alloc. The reliable reproducer requires TCP_REPAIR privileges, while ordinary large sends can reach the same accounting wraparound when TCP window bounding reduces size_goal.
Summary
What happened
Integer overflow in the Linux kernel allows local users to interrupt service through crafted TCP socket writes. In net/ipv4/tcp.c, unsigned promotion makes size_goal minus skb->len a large positive value, causing tcp_wmem_schedule() to overflow sk_forward_alloc. The reliable reproducer requires TCP_REPAIR privileges, while ordinary large sends can reach the same accounting wraparound when TCP window bounding reduces size_goal.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2025-38463
- Published
- Jul 25, 2025
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 25, 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=270a1c3de47e49dd2fc18f48e46b101e48050e78 <62e6160cfb5514787bda833d466509edc38fde23
- Affected versionversion=270a1c3de47e49dd2fc18f48e46b101e48050e78 <81373cd1d72d87c7d844d4454a526b8f53e72d00
- Affected versionversion=270a1c3de47e49dd2fc18f48e46b101e48050e78 <9f164fa6bb09fbcc60fa5c3ff551ce9eec1befd7
- Affected versionversion=270a1c3de47e49dd2fc18f48e46b101e48050e78 <d3a5f2871adc0c61c61869f37f3e697d97f03d8c
- Affected versionversion=6.5
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
- Syzkaller TCP_REPAIR reproducerproof of concept · demonstrated
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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