CVE-2021-45095

Sensitive information disclosure via failed Phonet accepts

Published Dec 16, 2021 · Updated Aug 4, 2024

Reference-count leakage in the Linux kernel 5.15.8 and earlier allows local users to read sensitive data via failed Phonet socket accepts. In net/phonet/pep.c, pep_sock_accept() acquires a reference with sock_hold() but fails to release it when pep_accept_conn() returns an error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a kernel built with Phonet support; the bounded reported impact is sensitive-information disclosure, not modification or service interruption.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.34%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Reference-count leakage in the Linux kernel 5.15.8 and earlier allows local users to read sensitive data via failed Phonet socket accepts. In net/phonet/pep.c, pep_sock_accept() acquires a reference with sock_hold() but fails to release it when pep_accept_conn() returns an error. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a kernel built with Phonet support; the bounded reported impact is sensitive-information disclosure, not modification or service interruption.

The record

CVE
CVE-2021-45095
Published
Dec 16, 2021
Updated
Aug 4, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
CWE-200
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Dec 16, 2021CVE 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 privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

Affected products and versions are unavailable in this record.

Published CVSS scores

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

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
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-200Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor

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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