CVE-2020-14416

Kernel crash via line-discipline teardown race

Published Jun 18, 2020 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Use-after-free in Linux kernel SLIP and SLCAN before 5.4.16 allows local users to crash the system during line-discipline teardown. The write_wakeup handlers read tty->disc_data and schedule work while close can clear the pointer and free its network device, leaving the handlers to dereference freed memory. Exploitation requires privileged local access, a configured SLIP or SLCAN line discipline, and a race between write wakeup and close.

CVSS severity4.2
Medium
EPSS probability0.31%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
Coverage for this vulnerability

See if you're affected

Explore vulnerability checks for your environment with Hinoki.

Book a demo

Summary

What happened

Use-after-free in Linux kernel SLIP and SLCAN before 5.4.16 allows local users to crash the system during line-discipline teardown. The write_wakeup handlers read tty->disc_data and schedule work while close can clear the pointer and free its network device, leaving the handlers to dereference freed memory. Exploitation requires privileged local access, a configured SLIP or SLCAN line discipline, and a race between write wakeup and close.

The record

CVE
CVE-2020-14416
Published
Jun 18, 2020
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-416, CWE-362
Attack vector
local
Privileges
admin

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jun 18, 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

Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.

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

4.7NIST NVDAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
4.2NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.

Daily unique IPsNo honeypot observations are available for this CVE in the selected window.

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
CWE-362Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization ('Race Condition')

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

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

Technologies

Your stack

See the directory against your own environment.

Your stack

Check the software in your environment

Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.

Book a demo