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High severity7.8NVD Advisory· Published Nov 15, 2017· Updated May 13, 2026

CVE-2017-15115

CVE-2017-15115

Description

The sctp_do_peeloff function in net/sctp/socket.c in the Linux kernel before 4.14 does not check whether the intended netns is used in a peel-off action, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted system calls.

AI Insight

LLM-synthesized narrative grounded in this CVE's description and references.

The Linux kernel before 4.14 does not validate netns in `sctp_do_peeloff`, allowing local users to cause a use-after-free crash.

Vulnerability

The vulnerability resides in the sctp_do_peeloff function in net/sctp/socket.c. In the Linux kernel before version 4.14, this function does not check whether the intended network namespace (netns) is used during a SCTP peel-off operation. This lack of validation allows a local user to perform a peel-off action on a socket in a different network namespace, leading to a use-after-free condition [4].

Exploitation

An attacker must be a local user and able to issue crafted system calls. Specifically, the attacker must invoke the SCTP_PEELOFF operation on a socket association that belongs to a different network namespace. The kernel fails to verify the netns, allowing the attacker to trigger the use-after-free by freeing the socket while it is still in use [4]. No special privileges beyond local access are required.

Impact

Successful exploitation causes a use-after-free in the kernel, which results in a denial of service (system crash). The description also notes the possibility of unspecified other impact, which could include arbitrary code execution or privilege escalation, though the primary impact is system instability [4].

Mitigation

A fix is available in Linux kernel version 4.14 and later. Distributions such as Ubuntu and Red Hat have backported the fix: Ubuntu via USN-3583-1 and USN-3583-2 (for Trusty HWE/12.04 ESM) [2][3], and Red Hat addressed it in their updates. Users should update to the latest patched kernel version.

References
  1. USN-3583-2: Linux kernel (Trusty HWE) vulnerabilities | Ubuntu security notices | Ubuntu
  2. USN-3583-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities | Ubuntu security notices | Ubuntu
  3. 1513345 – (CVE-2017-15115) CVE-2017-15115 kernel: use-after-free in sctp_cmp_addr_exact

AI Insight generated on May 22, 2026. Synthesized from this CVE's description and the cited reference URLs; citations are validated against the source bundle.

Affected products

100

Patches

0

No patches discovered yet.

Vulnerability mechanics

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References

16

News mentions

0

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