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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2025-38018

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-06-18
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.140 / 6.6.92 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/tls: fix kernel panic when alloc_page failed We cannot set frag_list to NULL pointer when alloc_page failed. It will be used in tls_strp_check_queue_ok when the next time tls_strp_read_sock is called. This is because we don't reset full_len in tls_strp_flush_anchor_copy() so the recv path will try to continue handling the partial record on the next call but we dettached the rcvq from the frag list. Alternative fix would be to reset full_len. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000028 Call trace: tls_strp_check_rcv+0x128/0x27c tls_strp_data_ready+0x34/0x44 tls_data_ready+0x3c/0x1f0 tcp_data_ready+0x9c/0xe4 tcp_data_queue+0xf6c/0x12d0 tcp_rcv_established+0x52c/0x798

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis
How this class of weakness works · CWE-476

The code follows a pointer that is null, crashing the process. An attacker who can reliably trigger it turns the crash into a denial of service. The fix is checking for null before use and handling the failure path gracefully.

General guidance for the null pointer dereference class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 6.0, < 6.1.140>= 6.2, < 6.6.92>= 6.7, < 6.12.30>= 6.13, < 6.14.8= 6.15
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 11.0

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

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

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 6.1.140 / 6.6.92 / 6.12.30 or later
Fixed in 6.1.1406.6.926.12.30
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to Linux kernel 6.1.140, 6.6.92, 6.12.30, or 6.14.8 (depending on your current branch); Debian 11 requires backport or distribution upgrade

  1. Identify current kernel version with `uname -r`
  2. Determine which kernel branch your current version belongs to (6.1.x, 6.2-6.6.x, 6.7-6.12.x, or 6.13+)
  3. For 6.1.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.1.140
  4. For 6.2-6.6.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.6.92
  5. For 6.7-6.12.x branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.12.30
  6. For 6.13+ branch: upgrade to kernel >= 6.14.8
  7. On Debian 11: apply vendor backported patch from https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/406d05da26835943568e61bb751c569efae071d4 or upgrade to Debian 12/13
  8. Reboot system to load the fixed kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require reboot and could have compatibility implications with custom modules or specific hardware; ensure backups and test in non-production environment first

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $2,850. Get the upgrade done

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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2025-38018 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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