CVE-2021-3744

Local denial of service via AES-GCM memory leaks

Published Mar 4, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Memory leaks in Linux Kernel before 5.15-rc4 allow local users to exhaust kernel memory and interrupt service through AES-GCM requests. In ccp_run_aes_gcm_cmd() in drivers/crypto/ccp/ccp-ops.c, three failure paths omit freeing the aad, final_wa, or tag allocation. A local low-privilege user must reach the AMD v5 Crypto Co-Processor AES-GCM path and repeatedly induce its allocation failures, causing availability loss through memory exhaustion.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.53%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Memory leaks in Linux Kernel before 5.15-rc4 allow local users to exhaust kernel memory and interrupt service through AES-GCM requests. In ccp_run_aes_gcm_cmd() in drivers/crypto/ccp/ccp-ops.c, three failure paths omit freeing the aad, final_wa, or tag allocation. A local low-privilege user must reach the AMD v5 Crypto Co-Processor AES-GCM path and repeatedly induce its allocation failures, causing availability loss through memory exhaustion.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-3744
Published
Mar 4, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux Kernel
Classifications
CWE-401, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 4, 2022CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. Aug 3, 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?

Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.

  1. Affected versionversion=Fixed in v5.15-rc4 and above.

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linux Kernelversion=Fixed in v5.15-rc4 and above.

Published CVSS scores

5.5NIST NVDCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
2.1NIST NVDAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P

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 9, 2026Sep 15, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 15, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-401Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

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

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Your stack

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