CVE-2025-39682
Linux Kernel: Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions
As of , CVE-2025-39682 in Linux Kernel is on CISA's list of exploited vulnerabilities: CISA listed it on . Our patch-first group: Patch now.
- Exploited
- Yes: CISA listed it on 18 September 2026
- US federal deadline
- 21 September 20263 days after CISA listed it. US federal civilian agencies must fix it by then.
- Used in ransomware campaigns
- Not known to CISA
- Forensic triage
- Required by CISA under BOD 26-04Agencies must also look for signs that attackers already got in.
- EPSS score
- 0.03Higher than 86% of the CVEs EPSS scores. EPSS estimates the chance of exploitation activity in the next 30 days.
- Public exploit
- None foundNeither Metasploit nor Exploit-DB lists one.
- Fix
- Vendor advice: git.kernel.orgLinks below, from CISA's entry.
What CISA says to do
Apply mitigations in accordance with vendor instructions, ensuring compliance with CISA’s BOD 26-04 Prioritizing Security Updates Based on Risk (see URL in Notes) guidance and CISA’s “Forensics Triage Requirements” (see URL in Notes). Follow applicable BOD 26-04 guidance for cloud services or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. Stakeholders are responsible for evaluating each asset's internet exposure and ensuring adherence to BOD 26-04 patching guidelines.
CISA's required action
What the flaw is
Linux Kernel contains an improper check for unusual or exceptional conditions vulnerability in the TLS receive path which allows a zero-length record retrieved from the rx_list to bypass the intended recvmsg() record-type handling, potentially causing subsequent TLS records to be processed using incorrect zero-copy and queuing assumptions. The impacted product(s) could be end-of-life (EoL) and/or end-of-service (EoS). Users are advised to discontinue use and/or transition to a supported version.
CISA's description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tls: fix handling of zero-length records on the rx_list Each recvmsg() call must process either - only contiguous DATA records (any number of them) - one non-DATA record If the next record has different type than what has already been processed we break out of the main processing loop. If the record has already been decrypted (which may be the case for TLS 1.3 where we don't know type until decryption) we queue the pending record to the rx_list. Next recvmsg() will pick it up from there. Queuing the skb to rx_list after zero-copy decrypt is not possible, since in that case we decrypted directly to the user space buffer, and we don't have an skb to queue (darg.skb points to the ciphertext skb for access to metadata like length). Only data records are allowed zero-copy, and we break the processing loop after each non-data record. So we should never zero-copy and then find out that the record type has changed. The corner case we missed is when the initial record comes from rx_list, and it's zero length.
The CVE record's description, from Linux
- CVE published
- 5 September 2025
- Assigned by
- Linux
- CVSS
- 9.8 Critical (CVSS 3.1, from the CNA)
- CWE-754
- Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions
- CISA SSVC, exploitation
- active
- CISA SSVC, automatable
- yes
- CISA SSVC, technical impact
- total
Timeline
- The CVE record was published.
- CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
- The US federal deadline to fix it.
Kernel: other exploited entries
| Vulnerability | Product | Our group | Listed | Deadline | EPSS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2025-39964Race Condition | Linux Kernel | Patch nowForensic triage required by CISA | 0.01 | ||
| CVE-2026-53266Out-of-Bounds Write | Linux Kernel | Patch nowForensic triage required by CISA | 0.01 | ||
| CVE-2026-53362Unspecified | Linux Kernel | Patch nowForensic triage required by CISA | 0.01 | ||
| CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-of-Bounds Write | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.79; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.79 | ||
| CVE-2013-6282Improper Input Validation | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.40 | ||
| CVE-2019-13272Improper Privilege Management | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.52; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.52 | ||
| CVE-2010-3904Improper Input Validation | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module; verified Exploit-DB entry | 0.16 | ||
| CVE-2022-0847Privilege Escalation | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.93 | 0.93 | ||
| CVE-2021-3493Privilege Escalation | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module | 0.49 | ||
| CVE-2014-3153Privilege Escalation | Linux Kernel | Patch this weekMetasploit module | 0.37 |
Read further
- CVE recordcve.org
- NVD entrynvd.nist.gov
- CISA's catalogcisa.gov
- EPSS for this CVEapi.first.org