In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
espintcp: remove encap socket caching to avoid reference leak
The current scheme for caching the encap socket can lead to reference
leaks when we try to delete the netns.
The reference chain is: xfrm_state -> enacp_sk -> netns
Since the encap socket is a userspace socket, it holds a reference on
the netns. If we delete the espintcp state (through flush or
individual delete) before removing the netns, the reference on the
socket is dropped and the netns is correctly deleted. Otherwise, the
netns may not be reachable anymore (if all processes within the ns
have terminated), so we cannot delete the xfrm state to drop its
reference on the socket.
This patch results in a small (~2% in my tests) performance
regression.
A GC-type mechanism could be added for the socket cache, to clear
references if the state hasn't been used "recently", but it's a lot
more complex than just not caching the socket.
Metrics
Affected Vendors & Products
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History
Fri, 04 Jul 2025 00:30:00 +0000
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Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:30:00 +0000
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Description | In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: espintcp: remove encap socket caching to avoid reference leak The current scheme for caching the encap socket can lead to reference leaks when we try to delete the netns. The reference chain is: xfrm_state -> enacp_sk -> netns Since the encap socket is a userspace socket, it holds a reference on the netns. If we delete the espintcp state (through flush or individual delete) before removing the netns, the reference on the socket is dropped and the netns is correctly deleted. Otherwise, the netns may not be reachable anymore (if all processes within the ns have terminated), so we cannot delete the xfrm state to drop its reference on the socket. This patch results in a small (~2% in my tests) performance regression. A GC-type mechanism could be added for the socket cache, to clear references if the state hasn't been used "recently", but it's a lot more complex than just not caching the socket. | |
Title | espintcp: remove encap socket caching to avoid reference leak | |
References |
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Status: PUBLISHED
Assigner: Linux
Published: 2025-07-03T08:13:57.694Z
Updated: 2025-07-03T08:13:57.694Z
Reserved: 2025-04-16T04:51:23.985Z
Link: CVE-2025-38097

No data.

Status : Awaiting Analysis
Published: 2025-07-03T09:15:23.030
Modified: 2025-07-03T15:13:53.147
Link: CVE-2025-38097
