How severe is CVE-2025-38588?

CVE-2025-38588 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2025-38588 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2025-38588?

CVE-2025-38588 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2025-38588?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

Does CVE-2025-38588 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?

Yes. CVE-2025-38588 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-27917.

When was CVE-2025-38588 published?

CVE-2025-38588 was published on 2025-08-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2025-38588

CVE-2025-38588 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-835.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 5.5)
EPSS exploit prediction: 0% (4th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
EU (EUVD) id: EUVD-2025-27917
Weakness: CWE-835
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2025-08-19
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() While testing prior patch, I was able to trigger an infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() in the following place: list_for_each_entry_rcu(sibling, &f6i->fib6_siblings, fib6_siblings) { rt6_nh_nlmsg_size(sibling->fib6_nh, &nexthop_len); } This is because fib6_del_route() and fib6_add_rt2node() uses list_del_rcu(), which can confuse rcu readers, because they might no longer see the head of the list. Restart the loop if f6i->fib6_nsiblings is zero.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2025-38588?: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() While testing prior patch, I was able to trigger an infinite loop in rt6_nlmsg_size() in the following place: list_for_each_entry_rcu(sibling, &f6i->fib6_siblings, fib6_siblings) { rt6_nh_nlmsg_size(sibling->fib6_nh, &nexthop_len); } This is because fib6_del_route() and fib6_add_rt2node() uses list_del_rcu(), which can confuse rcu readers, because they might no longer see the head of the list. Restart the loop if f6i->fib6_nsiblings is zero.
How severe is CVE-2025-38588?: CVE-2025-38588 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 5.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires low privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2025-38588 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (4th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2025-38588?: CVE-2025-38588 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 2 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2025-38588?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
Does CVE-2025-38588 have an EU (EUVD) identifier?: Yes. CVE-2025-38588 is tracked in the ENISA EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD) as EUVD-2025-27917.
When was CVE-2025-38588 published?: CVE-2025-38588 was published on 2025-08-19 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (2)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:11.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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