CVE-2020-10690

Kernel crash via PTP device lifetime race

Published May 8, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Use-after-free in the Red Hat Kernel before 5.5 allows local users with high privileges to crash the system through a PTP device race. The PTP clock and its embedded character device use separate lifetime references, allowing cdev_put to access the cdev after ptp_clock storage is freed. Exploitation requires privileged access to an open /dev/ptpX file and removal of its underlying device; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.

CVSS severity6.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.36%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in the Red Hat Kernel before 5.5 allows local users with high privileges to crash the system through a PTP device race. The PTP clock and its embedded character device use separate lifetime references, allowing cdev_put to access the cdev after ptp_clock storage is freed. Exploitation requires privileged access to an open /dev/ptpX file and removal of its underlying device; the documented consequence is a kernel crash.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-10690
Published
May 8, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Red Hat
Product
Red Hat Kernel
Classifications
CWE-416, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 8, 2020CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 4, 2024Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.

Exploitability

Present is not the same as exploitable

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Is a vulnerable build present?

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  1. Affected versionversion=all kernel versions before 5.5

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Red Hat · Red Hat Kernelversion=all kernel versions before 5.5

Published CVSS scores

6.4NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
4.4NIST NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:P
6.5Red Hat, Inc.CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesadmin
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-416Use After Free
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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