CVE-2025-37959

MEDIUMCVSS 5.5/10EPSS 0.15%

Last modified

CVE-2025-37959 is a medium-severity vulnerability rated 5.5/10 on the CVSS scale. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Scrub packet on bpf_redirect_peer When bpf_redirect_peer is used to redirect packets to a device in another network namespace, the skb isn't scrubbed. That can lead skb information from one namespace to be "misused" in another namespace. As one example, this is causing Cilium to drop traffic when using bpf_redirect_peer to redirect packets that just went through IPsec decryption to a container namespace. EPSS estimates a 0.15% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Scrub packet on bpf_redirect_peer When bpf_redirect_peer is used to redirect packets to a device in another network namespace, the skb isn't scrubbed. That can lead skb information from one namespace to be "misused" in another namespace. As one example, this is causing Cilium to drop traffic when using bpf_redirect_peer to redirect packets that just went through IPsec decryption to a container namespace. The following pwru trace shows (1) the packet path from the host's XFRM layer to the container's XFRM layer where it's dropped and (2) the number of active skb extensions at each function. NETNS MARK IFACE TUPLE FUNC 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 xfrm_rcv_cb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 xfrm4_rcv_cb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 gro_cells_receive .active_extensions = (__u8)2, [...] 4026533547 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 skb_do_redirect .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 ip_rcv .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 ip_rcv_core .active_extensions = (__u8)2, [...] 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 udp_queue_rcv_one_skb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 __xfrm_policy_check .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 __xfrm_decode_session .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 security_xfrm_decode_session .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 kfree_skb_reason(SKB_DROP_REASON_XFRM_POLICY) .active_extensions = (__u8)2, In this case, there are no XFRM policies in the container's network namespace so the drop is unexpected. When we decrypt the IPsec packet, the XFRM state used for decryption is set in the skb extensions. This information is preserved across the netns switch. When we reach the XFRM policy check in the container's netns, __xfrm_policy_check drops the packet with LINUX_MIB_XFRMINNOPOLS because a (container-side) XFRM policy can't be found that matches the (host-side) XFRM state used for decryption. This patch fixes this by scrubbing the packet when using bpf_redirect_peer, as is done on typical netns switches via veth devices except skb->mark and skb->tstamp are not zeroed.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1
5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability
0.15%

4.4th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

VendorProductVersionsUpdate
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 5.10, < 6.1.139
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.2, < 6.6.91
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.7, < 6.12.29
LinuxLinux Kernel>= 6.13, < 6.14.7
LinuxLinux Kernel6.15Rc1
DebianDebian Linux11.0

References

Timeline

Published
Last Modified
Status
Analyzed

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-37959?
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Scrub packet on bpf_redirect_peer When bpf_redirect_peer is used to redirect packets to a device in another network namespace, the skb isn't scrubbed. That can lead skb information from one namespace to be "misused" in another namespace. As one example, this is causing Cilium to drop traffic when using bpf_redirect_peer to redirect packets that just went through IPsec decryption to a container namespace. The following pwru trace shows (1) the packet path from the host's XFRM layer to the container's XFRM layer where it's dropped and (2) the number of active skb extensions at each function. NETNS MARK IFACE TUPLE FUNC 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 xfrm_rcv_cb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 xfrm4_rcv_cb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026533547 d00 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 gro_cells_receive .active_extensions = (__u8)2, [...] 4026533547 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 skb_do_redirect .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 ip_rcv .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 ip_rcv_core .active_extensions = (__u8)2, [...] 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 udp_queue_rcv_one_skb .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 __xfrm_policy_check .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 __xfrm_decode_session .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 security_xfrm_decode_session .active_extensions = (__u8)2, 4026534999 0 eth0 10.244.3.124:35473->10.244.2.158:53 kfree_skb_reason(SKB_DROP_REASON_XFRM_POLICY) .active_extensions = (__u8)2, In this case, there are no XFRM policies in the container's network namespace so the drop is unexpected. When we decrypt the IPsec packet, the XFRM state used for decryption is set in the skb extensions. This information is preserved across the netns switch. When we reach the XFRM policy check in the container's netns, __xfrm_policy_check drops the packet with LINUX_MIB_XFRMINNOPOLS because a (container-side) XFRM policy can't be found that matches the (host-side) XFRM state used for decryption. This patch fixes this by scrubbing the packet when using bpf_redirect_peer, as is done on typical netns switches via veth devices except skb->mark and skb->tstamp are not zeroed.
How severe is CVE-2025-37959?
CVE-2025-37959 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.15% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
How do I fix CVE-2025-37959?
Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.

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Source: NVD / NIST