The vulnerability arises from the Linux kernel TLS implementation allowing an illegal chain‑after‑chain structure in scatterlist operations when the end pointer is zero. This flaw permits the creation of a wrap link that directly points to another chain link, which the scatterlist API sg_next iterator fails to resolve. Feeding such malformed data to the crypto subsystem can trigger a kernel crash, resulting in a denial of service. The weakness is classified as CWE‑237, improper input error handling.

The Linux kernel's TLS stack is affected, meaning any system running a vulnerable kernel version can be exposed. The specific kernel releases fixed by the patch are not enumerated, so all distributions that have not yet applied the correction may be at risk. Users of any Linux distribution should verify whether their kernel implements the updated scatterlist handling.

The CVSS score of 9.8 indicates a severe impact, while the EPSS score of less than 1 % suggests a low current exploitation probability. The vulnerability is not listed in CISA’s KEV catalog. The likely attack vector is inferred: an attacker with network access could craft a TLS 1.3 session that delivers the malicious chain. The description does not confirm remote code execution; a successful exploitation would most likely result in a kernel crash and service interruption, leading to denial of service.