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Linux CVE-2025-39797

HIGH
2025-09-12 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
7.8
CVSS 3.1 · NVD
View

Vulnerability Assessment

Impact

CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.01%.

Exploit ScenarioDerived

Successful exploitation could compromise the high-severity affected system.

This Week Schedule remediation this week. Why: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9).
Patch available 0.0% exploitation probability (EPSS)

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AnalysisAIv1 – Mar 28, 2026

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Duplicate SPI Handling The issue originates when Strongswan initiates an XFRM_MSG_ALLOCSPI Netlink message, which triggers. Rated high severity (CVSS 7.8), this vulnerability is low attack complexity.

RemediationAI

A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Apply vendor patches when available. Implement network segmentation and monitoring as interim mitigations.

Affects your stack

Find out whether the stacks and servers you run are on an affected version.

Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.

Technical ContextAI · show details

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: Duplicate SPI Handling The issue originates when Strongswan initiates an XFRM_MSG_ALLOCSPI Netlink message, which triggers the kernel function xfrm_alloc_spi(). This function is expected to ensure uniqueness of the Security Parameter Index (SPI) for inbound Security Associations (SAs). However, it can return success even when the requested SPI is already in use, leading to duplicate SPIs assigned to multiple inbound SAs, differentiated only by their destination addresses. This behavior causes inconsistencies during SPI lookups for inbound packets. Since the lookup may return an arbitrary SA among those with the same SPI, packet processing can fail, resulting in packet drops. According to RFC 4301 section 4.4.2 , for inbound processing a unicast SA is uniquely identified by the SPI and optionally protocol. Reproducing the Issue Reliably: To consistently reproduce the problem, restrict the available SPI range in charon.conf : spi_min = 0x10000000 spi_max = 0x10000002 This limits the system to only 2 usable SPI values. Next, create more than 2 Child SA. each using unique pair of src/dst address. As soon as the 3rd Child SA is initiated, it will be assigned a duplicate SPI, since the SPI pool is already exhausted. With a narrow SPI range, the issue is consistently reproducible. With a broader/default range, it becomes rare and unpredictable. Current implementation: xfrm_spi_hash() lookup function computes hash using daddr, proto, and family. So if two SAs have the same SPI but different destination addresses, then they will: a. Hash into different buckets b. Be stored in different linked lists (byspi + h) c. Not be seen in the same hlist_for_each_entry_rcu() iteration. As a result, the lookup will result in NULL and kernel allows that Duplicate SPI Proposed Change: xfrm_state_lookup_spi_proto() does a truly global search - across all states, regardless of hash bucket and matches SPI and proto. Affected products include: Linux Linux Kernel.

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Severity by source

NVD PRIMARY 7.8 HIGH
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
SUSE HIGH
Red Hat 5.3 MEDIUM

Primary rating from NVD.

CVSS VectorNVD

Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Lifecycle Timeline

2
Patch released
Mar 28, 2026 - 19:11 nvd
Patch available
CVE Published
Sep 12, 2025 - 16:15 nvd
HIGH 7.8

DescriptionNVD

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

xfrm: Duplicate SPI Handling

The issue originates when Strongswan initiates an XFRM_MSG_ALLOCSPI Netlink message, which triggers the kernel function xfrm_alloc_spi(). This function is expected to ensure uniqueness of the Security Parameter Index (SPI) for inbound Security Associations (SAs). However, it can return success even when the requested SPI is already in use, leading to duplicate SPIs assigned to multiple inbound SAs, differentiated only by their destination addresses.

This behavior causes inconsistencies during SPI lookups for inbound packets. Since the lookup may return an arbitrary SA among those with the same SPI, packet processing can fail, resulting in packet drops.

According to RFC 4301 section 4.4.2 , for inbound processing a unicast SA is uniquely identified by the SPI and optionally protocol.

Reproducing the Issue Reliably: To consistently reproduce the problem, restrict the available SPI range in charon.conf : spi_min = 0x10000000 spi_max = 0x10000002 This limits the system to only 2 usable SPI values. Next, create more than 2 Child SA. each using unique pair of src/dst address. As soon as the 3rd Child SA is initiated, it will be assigned a duplicate SPI, since the SPI pool is already exhausted. With a narrow SPI range, the issue is consistently reproducible. With a broader/default range, it becomes rare and unpredictable.

Current implementation: xfrm_spi_hash() lookup function computes hash using daddr, proto, and family. So if two SAs have the same SPI but different destination addresses, then they will: a. Hash into different buckets b. Be stored in different linked lists (byspi + h) c. Not be seen in the same hlist_for_each_entry_rcu() iteration. As a result, the lookup will result in NULL and kernel allows that Duplicate SPI

Proposed Change: xfrm_state_lookup_spi_proto() does a truly global search - across all states, regardless of hash bucket and matches SPI and proto.

Executive ViewAI

Why It Matters

CVE-2025-39797 presents notable security risk rated CVSS 7.8. Exploitation could compromise the security of affected deployments. A patch is available and should be applied as part of regular vulnerability management.

Business Impact: High
Compensating Controls

Apply vendor patch. If immediate patching is not feasible: (1) Implement network-level access controls to limit exposure; (2) Enable enhanced monitoring and alerting; (3) Apply principle of least privilege.

Threat Intelligence Overview

EPSS Score
0.0%
Top 97% exploitable
Data Quality
5 sources
Confidence: Medium

How this decision was reached

The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.

SignalValue
Severity HIGH
CISA KEV No
Public POC No
EPSS 0.0%
Patch available Yes
Active threat No
Deciding rule
HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9)
What every action level means
Emergency Immediate action required. Criteria: CRITICAL + in CISA KEV (actively exploited) without patch, OR CRITICAL + EPSS > 30% without patch, OR CRITICAL + active threat signals without patch.
Act Now Prioritize within 24-48h. Criteria: in KEV with patch available, OR CRITICAL + public POC, OR HIGH + EPSS > 10%, OR CRITICAL + active threat, OR any CRITICAL severity.
This Week Schedule remediation this week. Criteria: HIGH severity (CVSS 7.0-8.9). Patch within normal change window.
This Month Plan within 30 days. Criteria: MEDIUM severity (CVSS 4.0-6.9), lower exploitation probability. Include in regular patch cycle.
Monitor Track and reassess. Criteria: LOW severity (CVSS 0.1-3.9), minimal exploitation risk. No immediate action needed.

SSVC AssessmentENISA

SSVC Decision· derived
Scheduled
Exploitation· derived
None
System Exposure· derived
Small
Automatable· derived
No
Human Impact
High

Priority Score

39
Low Medium High Critical
KEV: 0
EPSS: 0
CVSS: +39
PoC: 0
Weaponized: 0
Threat intel: 0
Gov advisory: 0

Attack Technique

Information disclosure occurs when an application unintentionally exposes sensitive data that aids attackers in reconnaissance or directly compromises security.

Affected Products (CPE)NVD

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Vendor StatusVendor

SUSE

Severity: High
Product Status
Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/baremetal-os-container:2.1.3-3.64 Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/toolbox:13.2-6.19 Affected
Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/base-os-container:2.1.3-7.65 Image SLE-Micro Image SLE-Micro-Azure Image SLE-Micro-BYOS Image SLE-Micro-BYOS-Azure Image SLE-Micro-BYOS-EC2 Image SLE-Micro-BYOS-GCE Image SLE-Micro-EC2 Image SLE-Micro-GCE Affected
Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/kvm-os-container:2.1.3-6.88 Affected
Container suse/sl-micro/6.0/rt-os-container:2.1.3-7.105 Affected
Container suse/sl-micro/6.1/base-os-container:2.2.1-5.52 Image SL-Micro-Azure Image SL-Micro-BYOS-Azure Image SL-Micro-BYOS-EC2 Image SL-Micro-BYOS-GCE Image SL-Micro-EC2 Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Proxy-BYOS-Azure Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Proxy-BYOS-EC2 Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Proxy-BYOS-GCE Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Server-Azure-llc Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Server-Azure-ltd Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Server-BYOS-Azure Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Server-BYOS-EC2 Image SUSE-Multi-Linux-Manager-Server-BYOS-GCE Affected

References

Advisories & patches
PATCH https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/29e9158f91f99057dbd35db5e8674d93b38549fe PATCH https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2fc5b54368a1bf1d2d74b4d3b8eea5309a653e38 PATCH https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d8090bb53424432fa788fe9a49e8ceca74f0544 PATCH https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/94f39804d891cffe4ce17737d295f3b195bc7299 PATCH https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c67d4e7a8f90fb6361ca89d4d5c9a28f4e935e47 ADVISORY https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-8126-1 ADVISORY https://vuldb.com/vuln/323790 ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:03600/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:03601/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:03628/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:03633/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:03634/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20851/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20861/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20870/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20898/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20994/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:20996/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21040/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21052/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21056/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21064/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21074/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21080/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21139/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21147/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21179/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:21180/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:3716/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:3725/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:3751/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4057/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4111/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4128/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4132/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4139/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4140/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4141/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4149/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4301/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2025:4320/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20316/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20317/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20332/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20333/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20560/ ADVISORY https://www.suse.com/support/update/SUSE-SU-2026:20561/ REF https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb58962aa3b9359988c7b5b15a971fd9ad5b0ecd

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