UDP port disclosure via predictable exception-cache eviction
Published Feb 18, 2022 · Updated Jul 30, 2026
ICMP error processing in Linux Kernel allows remote attackers to rapidly infer open UDP ports through off-path network probes. The IPv4 and IPv6 route exception caches use predictable collision limits and oldest-entry eviction, so forged ICMP errors reveal whether a UDP socket exists through cache state. Exploitation requires off-path ICMP probing; the resulting port oracle facilitates attacks against UDP services that depend on source-port randomization.
Summary
What happened
ICMP error processing in Linux Kernel allows remote attackers to rapidly infer open UDP ports through off-path network probes. The IPv4 and IPv6 route exception caches use predictable collision limits and oldest-entry eviction, so forged ICMP errors reveal whether a UDP socket exists through cache state. Exploitation requires off-path ICMP probing; the resulting port oracle facilitates attacks against UDP services that depend on source-port randomization.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2021-20322
- Published
- Feb 18, 2022
- Updated
- Jul 30, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux Kernel
- Classifications
- CWE-330, T1046
- Attack vector
- network
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Feb 18, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Jul 30, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=4.15 <4.19.215
- Affected versionversion=4.20 <5.4.146
- Affected versionversion=5.11 <5.13.17
- Affected versionversion=5.14 <5.14.4
- Affected versionversion=5.5 <5.10.65
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
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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