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

  1. The CVE record was published.
  2. CISA added it to its list of exploited vulnerabilities.
  3. The US federal deadline to fix it.

Kernel: other exploited entries

VulnerabilityProductOur groupListedDeadlineEPSS
CVE-2025-39964Race ConditionLinux KernelPatch nowForensic triage required by CISA0.01
CVE-2026-53266Out-of-Bounds WriteLinux KernelPatch nowForensic triage required by CISA0.01
CVE-2026-53362UnspecifiedLinux KernelPatch nowForensic triage required by CISA0.01
CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-of-Bounds WriteLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.79; verified Exploit-DB entry0.79
CVE-2013-6282Improper Input ValidationLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module; verified Exploit-DB entry0.40
CVE-2019-13272Improper Privilege ManagementLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.52; verified Exploit-DB entry0.52
CVE-2010-3904Improper Input ValidationLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module; verified Exploit-DB entry0.16
CVE-2022-0847Privilege EscalationLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module; EPSS 0.930.93
CVE-2021-3493Privilege EscalationLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module0.49
CVE-2014-3153Privilege EscalationLinux KernelPatch this weekMetasploit module0.37

All 31 entries for Kernel

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