CVE-2022-27666Public exploit

Local privilege escalation via undersized ESP allocation

Published Mar 23, 2022 · Updated Aug 3, 2024

Heap buffer overflow in Linux kernel IPsec ESP code before 5.16.15 allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a large message. The IPv4 and IPv6 ESP output paths accept a message larger than skb_page_frag_refill can allocate, then write beyond the allocated fragment instead of falling back to copy-on-write. The path requires local low-privileged access; successful exploitation overwrites kernel heap objects, enabling a system crash or arbitrary kernel code execution.

CVSS severity7.8
High
EPSS probability5.52%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Heap buffer overflow in Linux kernel IPsec ESP code before 5.16.15 allows local users to gain elevated privileges via a large message. The IPv4 and IPv6 ESP output paths accept a message larger than skb_page_frag_refill can allocate, then write beyond the allocated fragment instead of falling back to copy-on-write. The path requires local low-privileged access; successful exploitation overwrites kernel heap objects, enabling a system crash or arbitrary kernel code execution.

The record

CVE
CVE-2022-27666
Published
Mar 23, 2022
Updated
Aug 3, 2024
Vendor
Unknown vendor
Product
Unknown product
Classifications
T1068
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Mar 23, 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?

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

7.8OracleCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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.

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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 exploitPublished

Weakness, pattern, technique

T1068Exploitation for Privilege Escalation

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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