What is CVE-2016-4557?

CVE-2016-4557 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10. CVE-2016-4557 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2016-4557?

CVE-2016-4557 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2016-4557?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2016-4557. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2016-4557 actively exploited?

CVE-2016-4557 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

CVE-2016-4557

High

The replace_map_fd_with_map_ptr function in kernel/bpf/verifier.c in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 does not properly maintain an fd data structure, which allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (use-after-free) via crafted BPF instructions that reference an incorrect file descriptor.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2016-05-23

Last modified 2026-05-06

CVSS version 3.1

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10

High

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2016-4557 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Lists
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2016-06/msg00044.html

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Kernel.org
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.5.5

Vendor Advisory
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/05/06/4

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Bugs
https://bugs.chromium.org/p/project-zero/issues/detail?id=808

Third Party Advisory
Debian Security
https://bugs.debian.org/823603

Third Party Advisory
Red Hat
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1334307

Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
Exploit-DB
https://www.exploit-db.com/exploits/40759/

Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
Kernel patch commit
http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=8358b02bf67d3a5d8a825070e1aa73f25fb2e4c7
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/8358b02bf67d3a5d8a825070e1aa73f25fb2e4c7
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2016-4557

Severity High

CVSS score 7.8 / 10

CVSS version 3.1

Published 2016-05-23

Modified 2026-05-06

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-4557?

CVE-2016-4557 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 . CVE-2016-4557 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2016-4557?

CVE-2016-4557 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2016-4557?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2016-4557. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2016-4557 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2016-4557 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.