CVE-2026-72330

net/tls: Consume empty data records in tls_sw_read_sock()

HIGH
7.5
CVSS Score
Published: August 15, 2026 at 05:55 AM UTC
Updated: October 16, 2026 at 07:17 PM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

Using Linux by Linux?

Get instant alerts when new vulnerabilities affect Linux - before attackers find them.

Real-time alertsTrack your software stackFree plan available
Severity
HIGH7.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.6%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/tls: Consume empty data records in tls_sw_read_sock() A peer may send a zero-length TLS application_data record; TLS 1.3 explicitly permits these as a traffic-analysis countermeasure (RFC 8446, Section 5.1). After decryption such a record has full_len == 0. tls_sw_read_sock() hands it to the read_actor, which has no payload to consume and returns zero. The loop treats a zero return as backpressure (used <= 0), requeues the skb at the head of rx_list, and stops. rx_list is serviced head-first on the next call, so the empty record is dequeued, fails the same way, and is requeued again; every later record on the connection is blocked behind it. tls_sw_recvmsg() does not stall on this: a zero-length data record copies nothing and falls through to consume_skb(). Mirror that in the read_sock() path by recognizing an empty data record before the actor runs, consuming it, and continuing.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

6.6662fbcec32f4af6bdcf5b4006b792ebe9543d945
Vendor states this is fixed in 0867b0f2513ebc1c475af9898c97f4772a68d964 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 3be28e2c9cd0230cb51fd4967df095273afd3848 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in c6b440cf766a557b08d25f1b571b3d57d039686e (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in e8a4c9fc437b16aef38f86ce3275677e36924259 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in ebc295ce343600c2d60c1e1e0c5d192080217457 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.97 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.18.40 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.145 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 7.1.5 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 7.2 (unaffected)

Remediation

No guide yet

No remediation guidance has been written for this CVE yet, and no fixed version or vendor advisory is recorded against it.

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitAutomatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

7.5HIGHLinux
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusRECEIVED

Get alerted

Stop reading CVE feeds looking for your own stack

Track the products you run and VulnTracker tells you when a new CVE affects them — with what is known about fixing it, and nothing about the rest.

Free plan, no card