tcp: correct handling of extreme memory squeeze

MITRE NVD CVE.ORG JSON API

Summary

CVECVE-2025-21710
StatePUBLISHED
AssignerLinux
Source PriorityCVE Program / NVD first with legacy fallback
Published2025-02-27 02:15:14 UTC
Updated2026-07-30 06:20:26 UTC
DescriptionIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: tcp: correct handling of extreme memory squeeze Testing with iperf3 using the "pasta" protocol splicer has revealed a problem in the way tcp handles window advertising in extreme memory squeeze situations. Under memory pressure, a socket endpoint may temporarily advertise a zero-sized window, but this is not stored as part of the socket data. The reasoning behind this is that it is considered a temporary setting which shouldn't influence any further calculations. However, if we happen to stall at an unfortunate value of the current window size, the algorithm selecting a new value will consistently fail to advertise a non-zero window once we have freed up enough memory. This means that this side's notion of the current window size is different from the one last advertised to the peer, causing the latter to not send any data to resolve the sitution. The problem occurs on the iperf3 server side, and the socket in question is a completely regular socket with the default settings for the fedora40 kernel. We do not use SO_PEEK or SO_RCVBUF on the socket. The following excerpt of a logging session, with own comments added, shows more in detail what is happening: // tcp_v4_rcv(->) // tcp_rcv_established(->) [5201<->39222]: ==== Activating log @ net/ipv4/tcp_input.c/tcp_data_queue()/5257 ==== [5201<->39222]: tcp_data_queue(->) [5201<->39222]: DROPPING skb [265600160..265665640], reason: SKB_DROP_REASON_PROTO_MEM [rcv_nxt 265600160, rcv_wnd 262144, snt_ack 265469200, win_now 131184] [copied_seq 259909392->260034360 (124968), unread 5565800, qlen 85, ofoq 0] [OFO queue: gap: 65480, len: 0] [5201<->39222]: tcp_data_queue(<-) [5201<->39222]: __tcp_transmit_skb(->) [tp->rcv_wup: 265469200, tp->rcv_wnd: 262144, tp->rcv_nxt 265600160] [5201<->39222]: tcp_select_window(->) [5201<->39222]: (inet_csk(sk)->icsk_ack.pending & ICSK_ACK_NOMEM) ? --> TRUE [tp->rcv_wup: 265469200, tp->rcv_wnd: 262144, tp->rcv_nxt 265600160] returning 0 [5201<->39222]: tcp_select_window(<-) [5201<->39222]: ADVERTISING WIN 0, ACK_SEQ: 265600160 [5201<->39222]: [__tcp_transmit_skb(<-) [5201<->39222]: tcp_rcv_established(<-) [5201<->39222]: tcp_v4_rcv(<-) // Receive queue is at 85 buffers and we are out of memory. // We drop the incoming buffer, although it is in sequence, and decide // to send an advertisement with a window of zero. // We don't update tp->rcv_wnd and tp->rcv_wup accordingly, which means // we unconditionally shrink the window. [5201<->39222]: tcp_recvmsg_locked(->) [5201<->39222]: __tcp_cleanup_rbuf(->) tp->rcv_wup: 265469200, tp->rcv_wnd: 262144, tp->rcv_nxt 265600160 [5201<->39222]: [new_win = 0, win_now = 131184, 2 * win_now = 262368] [5201<->39222]: [new_win >= (2 * win_now) ? --> time_to_ack = 0] [5201<->39222]: NOT calling tcp_send_ack() [tp->rcv_wup: 265469200, tp->rcv_wnd: 262144, tp->rcv_nxt 265600160] [5201<->39222]: __tcp_cleanup_rbuf(<-) [rcv_nxt 265600160, rcv_wnd 262144, snt_ack 265469200, win_now 131184] [copied_seq 260040464->260040464 (0), unread 5559696, qlen 85, ofoq 0] returning 6104 bytes [5201<->39222]: tcp_recvmsg_locked(<-) // After each read, the algorithm for calculating the new receive // window in __tcp_cleanup_rbuf() finds it is too small to advertise // or to update tp->rcv_wnd. // Meanwhile, the peer thinks the window is zero, and will not send // any more data to trigger an update from the interrupt mode side. [5201<->39222]: tcp_recvmsg_locked(->) [5201<->39222]: __tcp_cleanup_rbuf(->) tp->rcv_wup: 265469200, tp->rcv_wnd: 262144, tp->rcv_nxt 265600160 [5201<->39222]: [new_win = 262144, win_now = 131184, 2 * win_n ---truncated---

Risk And Classification

Primary CVSS: v3.1 5.5 MEDIUM from [email protected]

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

Problem Types: CWE-667

VersionSourceTypeScoreSeverityVector
3.1[email protected]Primary5.5MEDIUMCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
3.1416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67Secondary8.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
3.1CNADECLARED8.2HIGHCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H

CVSS v3.1 Breakdown

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

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

NVD Known Affected Configurations (CPE 2.3)

TypeVendorProductVersionUpdateEditionLanguage
Operating System Linux Linux Kernel All All All All

Vendor Declared Affected Products

SourceVendorProductVersionPlatforms
CNA Linux Linux affected e2142825c120d4317abf7160a0fc34b3de532586 b01e7ceb35dcb7ffad413da657b78c3340a09039 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e2142825c120d4317abf7160a0fc34b3de532586 1dd823a46e25ffde1492c391934f69a9e5eb574f git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e2142825c120d4317abf7160a0fc34b3de532586 b4055e2fe96f4ef101d8af0feb056d78d77514ff git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected e2142825c120d4317abf7160a0fc34b3de532586 8c670bdfa58e48abad1d5b6ca1ee843ca91f7303 git Not specified
CNA Linux Linux affected 6.6 Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.6 semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.6.76 6.6.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.12.13 6.12.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.13.2 6.13.* semver Not specified
CNA Linux Linux unaffected 6.14 * original_commit_for_fix Not specified

References

ReferenceSourceLinkTags
git.kernel.org/stable/c/8c670bdfa58e48abad1d5b6ca1ee843ca91f7303 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org Patch
git.kernel.org/stable/c/1dd823a46e25ffde1492c391934f69a9e5eb574f 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org Patch
git.kernel.org/stable/c/b4055e2fe96f4ef101d8af0feb056d78d77514ff 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org Patch
git.kernel.org/stable/c/b01e7ceb35dcb7ffad413da657b78c3340a09039 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67 git.kernel.org Patch
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