CVE-2025-38097

Source
https://cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38097
Import Source
https://storage.googleapis.com/osv-test-cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2025-38097.json
JSON Data
https://api.test.osv.dev/v1/vulns/CVE-2025-38097
Downstream
Related
Published
2025-07-03T08:13:57.694Z
Modified
2026-03-11T07:46:51.390418Z
Summary
espintcp: remove encap socket caching to avoid reference leak
Details

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

espintcp: remove encap socket caching to avoid reference leak

The current scheme for caching the encap socket can lead to reference leaks when we try to delete the netns.

The reference chain is: xfrmstate -> enacpsk -> netns

Since the encap socket is a userspace socket, it holds a reference on the netns. If we delete the espintcp state (through flush or individual delete) before removing the netns, the reference on the socket is dropped and the netns is correctly deleted. Otherwise, the netns may not be reachable anymore (if all processes within the ns have terminated), so we cannot delete the xfrm state to drop its reference on the socket.

This patch results in a small (~2% in my tests) performance regression.

A GC-type mechanism could be added for the socket cache, to clear references if the state hasn't been used "recently", but it's a lot more complex than just not caching the socket.

Database specific
{
    "cna_assigner": "Linux",
    "osv_generated_from": "https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/tree/main/cves/2025/38xxx/CVE-2025-38097.json"
}
References

Affected packages

Git / git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git

Affected ranges

Type
GIT
Repo
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/stable/linux.git
Events
Introduced
e27cca96cd68fa2c6814c90f9a1cfd36bb68c593
Fixed
e4cde54b46a87231c77256a633be1bef62687d69
Fixed
b58a295d10065960bcb9d60cb8ca6ead9837cd27
Fixed
9cbca30102028f9ad3d2098f935c4368f581fd07
Fixed
74fd327767fb784c5875cf7c4ba1217f26020943
Fixed
028363685bd0b7a19b4a820f82dd905b1dc83999

Database specific

source
"https://storage.googleapis.com/osv-test-cve-osv-conversion/osv-output/CVE-2025-38097.json"