CVE-2020-12659Public exploit

Privileged kernel memory corruption via wrapped headroom check

Published May 5, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Out-of-bounds write in the Linux kernel before 5.6.7 allows local users with CAP_NET_ADMIN to corrupt memory or crash the system. xdp_umem_reg subtracts the user-supplied headroom from unsigned chunk-size values and tests the converted result for negativity, allowing integer wraparound to bypass the size check. The required local AF_XDP setup and packet redirection demand CAP_NET_ADMIN; a crafted registration permits writes beyond the UMEM chunk.

CVSS severity6.7
Medium
EPSS probability0.71%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Out-of-bounds write in the Linux kernel before 5.6.7 allows local users with CAP_NET_ADMIN to corrupt memory or crash the system. xdp_umem_reg subtracts the user-supplied headroom from unsigned chunk-size values and tests the converted result for negativity, allowing integer wraparound to bypass the size check. The required local AF_XDP setup and packet redirection demand CAP_NET_ADMIN; a crafted registration permits writes beyond the UMEM chunk.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-12659
Published
May 5, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-787, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. May 5, 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?

Affected buildAffected product and version details are unavailable.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesadmin

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

6.7Canonical UbuntuCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
6.7NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
7.2NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-787Out-of-bounds Write
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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