CVE-2025-71144 mptcp: ensure context reset on disconnect()

Medium 5.5 Published 14 Jan 2026 Updated 23 May 2026

A logic error in the Linux kernel MPTCP implementation causes a kernel warning and potential instability during connection disconnects, requiring a patch.

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

What is CVE-2025-71144?

CVE-2025-71144 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 14 Jan 2026. 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:

mptcp: ensure context reset on disconnect()

After the blamed commit below, if the MPC subflow is already in TCP_CLOSE status or has fallback to TCP at mptcp_disconnect() time, mptcp_do_fastclose() skips setting the `send_fastclose flag` and the later __mptcp_close_ssk() does not reset anymore the related subflow context.

Any later connection will be created with both the `request_mptcp` flag and the msk-level fallback status off (it is unconditionally cleared at MPTCP disconnect time), leading to a warning in subflow_data_ready():

WARNING: CPU: 26 PID: 8996 at net/mptcp/subflow.c:1519 subflow_data_ready (net/mptcp/subflow.c:1519 (discriminator 13)) Modules linked in: CPU: 26 UID: 0 PID: 8996 Comm: syz.22.39 Not tainted 6.18.0-rc7-05427-g11fc074f6c36 #1 PREEMPT(voluntary) Hardware name: Bochs Bochs, BIOS Bochs 01/01/2011 RIP: 0010:subflow_data_ready (net/mptcp/subflow.c:1519 (discriminator 13)) Code: 90 0f 0b 90 90 e9 04 fe ff ff e8 b7 1e f5 fe 89 ee bf 07 00 00 00 e8 db 19 f5 fe 83 fd 07 0f 84 35 ff ff ff e8 9d 1e f5 fe 90 <0f> 0b 90 e9 27 ff ff ff e8 8f 1e f5 fe 4c 89 e7 48 89 de e8 14 09 RSP: 0018:ffffc9002646fb30 EFLAGS: 00010293 RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff88813b218000 RCX: ffffffff825c8435 RDX: ffff8881300b3580 RSI: ffffffff825c8443 RDI: 0000000000000005 RBP: 000000000000000b R08: ffffffff825c8435 R09: 000000000000000b R10: 0000000000000005 R11: 0000000000000007 R12: ffff888131ac0000 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000 FS: 00007f88330af6c0(0000) GS:ffff888a93dd2000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00007f88330aefe8 CR3: 000000010ff59000 CR4: 0000000000350ef0 Call Trace: <TASK> tcp_data_ready (net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:5356) tcp_data_queue (net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:5445) tcp_rcv_state_process (net/ipv4/tcp_input.c:7165) tcp_v4_do_rcv (net/ipv4/tcp_ipv4.c:1955) __release_sock (include/net/sock.h:1158 (discriminator 6) net/core/sock.c:3180 (discriminator 6)) release_sock (net/core/sock.c:3737) mptcp_sendmsg (net/mptcp/protocol.c:1763 net/mptcp/protocol.c:1857) inet_sendmsg (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:853 (discriminator 7)) __sys_sendto (net/socket.c:727 (discriminator 15) net/socket.c:742 (discriminator 15) net/socket.c:2244 (discriminator 15)) __x64_sys_sendto (net/socket.c:2247) 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: 0033:0x7f883326702d

Address the issue setting an explicit `fastclosing` flag at fastclose time, and checking such flag after mptcp_do_fastclose().

Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-71144?

It affects 1 product.

Products include Linux kernel.

How do I fix CVE-2025-71144?

Apply the vendor's patch.

Upgrade, then put limits on request size, rate and nesting depth so one client cannot exhaust the service. More about Denial of service.

Is CVE-2025-71144 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-71144 in the wild and no public exploit code.

All Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Sources

Also known as BELL-CVE-2025-71144, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-71144, GHSA-5xhg-pwmp-mxj2, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2025-71144, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-71144.