CVE-2025-38476 rpl: Fix use-after-free in rpl_do_srh_inline().

Critical 9.8 Published 28 Jul 2025 Updated 5 Aug 2026

A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's RPL tunneling code allows attackers to cause a system crash or potentially execute arbitrary code.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2025-38476?

CVE-2025-38476 is a critical use after free vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 28 Jul 2025. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

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

rpl: Fix use-after-free in rpl_do_srh_inline().

Running lwt_dst_cache_ref_loop.sh in selftest with KASAN triggers the splat below [0].

rpl_do_srh_inline() fetches ipv6_hdr(skb) and accesses it after skb_cow_head(), which is illegal as the header could be freed then.

Let's fix it by making oldhdr to a local struct instead of a pointer.

[0]: [root@fedora net]# ./lwt_dst_cache_ref_loop.sh ... TEST: rpl (input) [ 57.631529] ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in rpl_do_srh_inline.isra.0 (net/ipv6/rpl_iptunnel.c:174) Read of size 40 at addr ffff888122bf96d8 by task ping6/1543

CPU: 50 UID: 0 PID: 1543 Comm: ping6 Not tainted 6.16.0-rc5-01302-gfadd1e6231b1 #23 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-debian-1.16.3-2 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <IRQ> dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:122) print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:409 mm/kasan/report.c:521) kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:221 mm/kasan/report.c:636) kasan_check_range (mm/kasan/generic.c:175 (discriminator 1) mm/kasan/generic.c:189 (discriminator 1)) __asan_memmove (mm/kasan/shadow.c:94 (discriminator 2)) rpl_do_srh_inline.isra.0 (net/ipv6/rpl_iptunnel.c:174) rpl_input (net/ipv6/rpl_iptunnel.c:201 net/ipv6/rpl_iptunnel.c:282) lwtunnel_input (net/core/lwtunnel.c:459) ipv6_rcv (./include/net/dst.h:471 (discriminator 1) ./include/net/dst.h:469 (discriminator 1) net/ipv6/ip6_input.c:79 (discriminator 1) ./include/linux/netfilter.h:317 (discriminator 1) ./include/linux/netfilter.h:311 (discriminator 1) net/ipv6/ip6_input.c:311 (discriminator 1)) __netif_receive_skb_one_core (net/core/dev.c:5967) process_backlog (./include/linux/rcupdate.h:869 net/core/dev.c:6440) __napi_poll.constprop.0 (net/core/dev.c:7452) net_rx_action (net/core/dev.c:7518 net/core/dev.c:7643) handle_softirqs (kernel/softirq.c:579) do_softirq (kernel/softirq.c:480 (discriminator 20)) </IRQ> <TASK> __local_bh_enable_ip (kernel/softirq.c:407) __dev_queue_xmit (net/core/dev.c:4740) ip6_finish_output2 (./include/linux/netdevice.h:3358 ./include/net/neighbour.h:526 ./include/net/neighbour.h:540 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:141) ip6_finish_output (net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:215 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:226) ip6_output (./include/linux/netfilter.h:306 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:248) ip6_send_skb (net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1983) rawv6_sendmsg (net/ipv6/raw.c:588 net/ipv6/raw.c:918) __sys_sendto (net/socket.c:714 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:729 (discriminator 1) net/socket.c:2228 (discriminator 1)) __x64_sys_sendto (net/socket.c:2231) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:63 (discriminator 1) arch/x86/entry/syscall_64.c:94 (discriminator 1)) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) RIP: 0033:0x7f68cffb2a06 Code: 5d e8 41 8b 93 08 03 00 00 59 5e 48 83 f8 fc 75 19 83 e2 39 83 fa 08 75 11 e8 26 ff ff ff 66 0f 1f 44 00 00 48 8b 45 10 0f 05 <48> 8b 5d f8 c9 c3 0f 1f 40 00 f3 0f 1e fa 55 48 89 e5 48 83 ec 08 RSP: 002b:00007ffefb7c53d0 EFLAGS: 00000202 ORIG_RAX: 000000000000002c RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000564cd69f10a0 RCX: 00007f68cffb2a06 RDX: 0000000000000040 RSI: 0000564cd69f10a4 RDI: 0000000000000003 RBP: 00007ffefb7c53f0 R08: 0000564cd6a032ac R09: 000000000000001c R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000202 R12: 0000564cd69f10a4 R13: 0000000000000040 R14: 00007ffefb7c66e0 R15: 0000564cd69f10a0 </TASK>

Allocated by task 1543: kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:48) kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:60 (discriminator 1) mm/kasan/common.c:69 (discriminator 1)) __kasan_slab_alloc (mm/kasan/common.c:319 mm/kasan/common.c:345) kmem_cache_alloc_node_noprof (./include/linux/kasan.h:250 mm/slub.c:4148 mm/slub.c:4197 mm/slub.c:4249) kmalloc_reserve (net/core/skbuff.c:581 (discriminator 88)) __alloc_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:669) __ip6_append_data (net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1672 (discriminator 1)) ip6_ ---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-416

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38476?

It affects 2 products.

Products include Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2025-38476?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.

Is CVE-2025-38476 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38476 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Debian Debian Linux vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-38476, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38476, GHSA-7fpf-q83q-74mx, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-38476, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38476, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-38476 and 2 more.