CVE-2025-71128Network attack vector

Remote kernel panic via uninitialized ERSPAN options length

Published Jan 14, 2026 · Updated Jan 14, 2026

Denial of service in Linux Kernel 6.15 through 6.18.3 allows remote attackers to cause a kernel panic via ERSPAN traffic. The ERSPAN receive path references ip_tunnel_info.options before setting its counted_by options_len, so FORTIFY treats a four-byte metadata copy as an overflow and invokes BUG(). A reachable collect-metadata ERSPAN endpoint on a kernel built with GCC 15 or later and FORTIFY_SOURCE is required; one packet can interrupt the entire host.

CVSS severity7.5
High
EPSS probability0.30%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Denial of service in Linux Kernel 6.15 through 6.18.3 allows remote attackers to cause a kernel panic via ERSPAN traffic. The ERSPAN receive path references ip_tunnel_info.options before setting its counted_by options_len, so FORTIFY treats a four-byte metadata copy as an overflow and invokes BUG(). A reachable collect-metadata ERSPAN endpoint on a kernel built with GCC 15 or later and FORTIFY_SOURCE is required; one packet can interrupt the entire host.

The record

CVE
CVE-2025-71128
Published
Jan 14, 2026
Updated
Jan 14, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
T1499.004
Attack vector
network
Privileges
unauthenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jan 14, 2026CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Jan 14, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=6.15
  2. Affected versionversion=bb5e62f2d547c4de6d1b144cbce2373a76c33f18 <35ddf66c65eff93fff91406756ba273600bf61a3
  3. Affected versionversion=bb5e62f2d547c4de6d1b144cbce2373a76c33f18 <b282b2a9eed848587c1348abdd5d83fa346a2743

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectornetwork
Required privilegesunauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=6.15; version=bb5e62f2d547c4de6d1b144cbce2373a76c33f18 <35ddf66c65eff93fff91406756ba273600bf61a3; version=bb5e62f2d547c4de6d1b144cbce2373a76c33f18 <b282b2a9eed848587c1348abdd5d83fa346a2743

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
7.5kernel.orgCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectornetwork
Privilegesunauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1499.004Application or System Exploitation

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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