What is CVE-2017-15951?

CVE-2017-15951 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2017-10-28.

How severe is CVE-2017-15951?

High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.

Improper input validation in Linux Kernel

CVE-2017-15951

The KEYS subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.13.10 does not correctly synchronize the actions of updating versus finding a key in the "negative" state to avoid a race condition, which allows local users to cause a denial of service or possibly have unspecified other impact via crafted system calls.

Vulnerability class: Drupalgeddon 2 (CVE-2018-7600)

Published 2017-10-28 · last modified 2026-06-17.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 7.8 (High). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

EPSS exploit prediction

EPSS: 0.004 (33.7th percentile), scored 2026-10-07.

Very low probability of exploitation in the next 30 days; routine patching cadence is appropriate. 34th percentile — 33.7% of CVEs in the catalogue have a lower EPSS than this one. How to read EPSS.

EPSS over last 30 days · oldest: 0.004 · newest: 0.004 · change: 0.000

Affected products

Linux Kernel

Weakness classification (CWE)

CWE-20 — Improper Input Validation

References

git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/ (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/363b02dab09b3226f3bd1420dad9c72b79a42a76 (Patch, Third Party Advisory, Issue Tracking)
www.securityfocus.com/bid/101621 (VDB Entry, Third Party Advisory, vdb-entry)
www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.13.10 (Release Notes, Vendor Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-15951?: CVE-2017-15951 is a high-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Improper Input Validation. CVSS score: 7.8/10. Published 2017-10-28.
How severe is CVE-2017-15951?: High severity. CVSS v3 base score is 7.8 out of 10.