# CVE-2025-71304: smack: /smack/doi: accept previously used values

> A flaw in the Linux kernel Smack module causes network connectivity loss for non-ambient labels when reusing previously used DOI values.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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:** 27 May 2026
- **Updated:** 27 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2025-71304, DEBIAN-CVE-2025-71304, GHSA-hgc7-rqx4-p393, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2025-71304, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2025-71304, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2025-71304, UBUNTU-CVE-2025-71304

## What is CVE-2025-71304?

CVE-2025-71304 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 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:

smack: /smack/doi: accept previously used values

Writing to /smack/doi a value that has ever been
written there in the past disables networking for
non-ambient labels.
E.g.

    # cat /smack/doi
    3
    # netlabelctl -p cipso list
    Configured CIPSO mappings (1)
     DOI value : 3
       mapping type : PASS_THROUGH
    # netlabelctl -p map list
    Configured NetLabel domain mappings (3)
     domain: "_" (IPv4)
       protocol: UNLABELED
     domain: DEFAULT (IPv4)
       protocol: CIPSO, DOI = 3
     domain: DEFAULT (IPv6)
       protocol: UNLABELED

    # cat /smack/ambient
    _
    # cat /proc/$$/attr/smack/current
    _
    # ping -c1 10.1.95.12
    64 bytes from 10.1.95.12: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.964 ms
    # echo foo >/proc/$$/attr/smack/current
    # ping -c1 10.1.95.12
    64 bytes from 10.1.95.12: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.956 ms
    unknown option 86

    # echo 4 >/smack/doi
    # echo 3 >/smack/doi
!>  [  214.050395] smk_cipso_doi:691 cipso add rc = -17
    # echo 3 >/smack/doi
!>  [  249.402261] smk_cipso_doi:678 remove rc = -2
!>  [  249.402261] smk_cipso_doi:691 cipso add rc = -17

    # ping -c1 10.1.95.12
!!> ping: 10.1.95.12: Address family for hostname not supported

    # echo _ >/proc/$$/attr/smack/current
    # ping -c1 10.1.95.12
    64 bytes from 10.1.95.12: icmp_seq=1 ttl=64 time=0.617 ms

This happens because Smack keeps decommissioned DOIs,
fails to re-add them, and consequently refuses to add
the “default” domain map:

    # netlabelctl -p cipso list
    Configured CIPSO mappings (2)
     DOI value : 3
       mapping type : PASS_THROUGH
     DOI value : 4
       mapping type : PASS_THROUGH
    # netlabelctl -p map list
    Configured NetLabel domain mappings (2)
     domain: "_" (IPv4)
       protocol: UNLABELED
!>  (no ipv4 map for default domain here)
     domain: DEFAULT (IPv6)
       protocol: UNLABELED

Fix by clearing decommissioned DOI definitions and
serializing concurrent DOI updates with a new lock.

Also:
- allow /smack/doi to live unconfigured, since
  adding a map (netlbl_cfg_cipsov4_map_add) may fail.
  CIPSO_V4_DOI_UNKNOWN(0) indicates the unconfigured DOI
- add new DOI before removing the old default map,
  so the old map remains if the add fails

(2008-02-04, Casey Schaufler)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2025-71304?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2025-71304?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2025-71304 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2025-71304 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-2025-71304 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2025-71304 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 May 2026. 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-2025-71304 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-2025-71304/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-71304/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2025-71304
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2025-71304
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2025-71304

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-71304/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
