# CVE-2025-38616: tls: handle data disappearing from under the TLS ULP > A use-after-free in the Linux kernel TLS module allows attackers to cause a crash or undefined behavior by racing with socket reads. - **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H`) - **Exploited in the wild:** Not known - **Login needed:** Any signed-in user - **Attackable:** Local or same network only - **Victim action needed:** Not needed - **Fix available:** Yes - **Published:** 22 Aug 2025 - **Updated:** 27 Aug 2026 - **Also known as:** A-440544812, ASB-A-440544812, AZL-66662, BELL-CVE-2025-38616, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-38616, GHSA-jwf8-43xw-qvcr, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-38616, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2025-38616, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-38616, SUSE-SU-2025:21101-1, SUSE-SU-2025:21102-1, SUSE-SU-2025:21104-1, SUSE-SU-2025:21113-1, SUSE-SU-2025:21115-1, SUSE-SU-2025:21124-1, SUSE-SU-2025:4169-1, SUSE-SU-2025:4275-1, SUSE-SU-2025:4311-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-38616 ## What is CVE-2025-38616? CVE-2025-38616 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 Aug 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim. ### Official description In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: handle data disappearing from under the TLS ULP TLS expects that it owns the receive queue of the TCP socket. This cannot be guaranteed in case the reader of the TCP socket entered before the TLS ULP was installed, or uses some non-standard read API (eg. zerocopy ones). Replace the WARN_ON() and a buggy early exit (which leaves anchor pointing to a freed skb) with real error handling. Wipe the parsing state and tell the reader to retry. We already reload the anchor every time we (re)acquire the socket lock, so the only condition we need to avoid is an out of bounds read (not having enough bytes in the socket for previously parsed record len). If some data was read from under TLS but there's enough in the queue we'll reload and decrypt what is most likely not a valid TLS record. Leading to some undefined behavior from TLS perspective (corrupting a stream? missing an alert? missing an attack?) but no kernel crash should take place. Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read) ## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-38616? It affects 1 product. | Package | Ecosystem | Affected | Fixed in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP6_Update_15` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP6 | All versions | 4-150600.2.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7-RT_Update_4` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | All versions | 4-150700.2.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-SLE15-SP7_Update_4` | SUSE:Linux Enterprise Live Patching 15 SP7 | All versions | 4-150700.2.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0-RT_Update_12` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | All versions | 3-1.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0_Update_11` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | All versions | 3-1.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0_Update_12` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.0 | All versions | 3-1.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0-RT_Update_12` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | All versions | 3-1.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0_Update_11` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | All versions | 3-1.1 | | `kernel-livepatch-MICRO-6-0_Update_12` | SUSE:Linux Micro 6.1 | All versions | 3-1.1 | Products: Linux kernel. ## How do I fix CVE-2025-38616? Apply the vendor's patch. ## Is CVE-2025-38616 being exploited? There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38616 in the wild and no public exploit code. ## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel - [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild) - [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild) ## Fix prompt for AI coding agents ```text Check this codebase for CVE-2025-38616 and fix it if it is affected. What it is: CVE-2025-38616 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 22 Aug 2025. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim. Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-38616 in the wild and no public exploit code. Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page. Task: 1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies. 2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it. 3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead. 4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why. 5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing. Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38616/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38616/index.md) ``` ## Sources - CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-38616 - NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-38616 - OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-38616 --- From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-38616/ Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.