CVE-2025-40183: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix metadata_dst leak __bpf_redirect_neigh_v{4,6} Cilium has a BPF egress g...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix metadata_dst leak __bpf_redirect_neigh_v{4,6} Cilium has a BPF egress gateway feature which forces outgoing K8s Pod traffic to pass through dedicated egress gateways which then SNAT the traffic in order to interact with stable IPs outside the cluster. The traffic is directed to the gateway via vxlan tunnel in collect md mode. A recent BPF change utilized the bpf_redirect_neigh() helper to forward packets after the arrival and decap on vxlan, which turned out over time that the kmalloc-256 slab usage in kernel was ever-increasing. The issue was that vxlan allocates the metadata_dst object and attaches it through a fake dst entry to the skb. The latter was never released though given bpf_redirect_neigh() was merely setting the new dst entry via skb_dst_set() without dropping an existing one first.

Metrics

EPSS Probability

0.18%

7.6th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

References

Timeline

Published: Nov 12, 2025
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Deferred

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2025-40183?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bpf: Fix metadata_dst leak __bpf_redirect_neigh_v{4,6} Cilium has a BPF egress gateway feature which forces outgoing K8s Pod traffic to pass through dedicated egress gateways which then SNAT the traffic in order to interact with stable IPs outside the cluster. The traffic is directed to the gateway via vxlan tunnel in collect md mode. A recent BPF change utilized the bpf_redirect_neigh() helper to forward packets after the arrival and decap on vxlan, which turned out over time that the kmalloc-256 slab usage in kernel was ever-increasing. The issue was that vxlan allocates the metadata_dst object and attaches it through a fake dst entry to the skb. The latter was never released though given bpf_redirect_neigh() was merely setting the new dst entry via skb_dst_set() without dropping an existing one first.

How severe is CVE-2025-40183?

Severity scoring for CVE-2025-40183 is pending analysis. The EPSS model estimates a 0.18% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2025-40183?

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.