What is CVE-2017-15299?

CVE-2017-15299 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476). CVE-2017-15299 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-15299?

CVE-2017-15299 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2017-15299?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2017-15299. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2017-15299 actively exploited?

CVE-2017-15299 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/476.html

CVE-2017-15299

Medium

The KEYS subsystem in the Linux kernel through 4.13.7 mishandles use of add_key for a key that already exists but is uninstantiated, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted system call.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2017-10-14

Last modified 2026-05-13

CVSS version 3.0

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 3.0 score

5.5

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

High

Vector string

CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-476

CVE-2017-15299 is a NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability

What is NULL Pointer Dereference?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2017-15299 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Red Hat
https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2018:0654
Red Hat
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1498016

Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
Debian Security
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2017/12/msg00004.html
Ubuntu Security
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3798-1/
Ubuntu Security
https://usn.ubuntu.com/3798-2/
Mail-Archive
https://www.mail-archive.com/linux-kernel%40vger.kernel.org/msg1499828.html
Kernel patch commit
https://marc.info/?t=150654188100001&r=1&w=2
Patch
Kernel patch commit
https://marc.info/?t=150783958600011&r=1&w=2
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2017-15299

Severity Medium

CVSS score 5.5 / 10

CVSS version 3.0

Published 2017-10-14

Modified 2026-05-13

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2017-15299?

CVE-2017-15299 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as a NULL Pointer Dereference flaw (CWE-476) . CVE-2017-15299 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2017-15299?

CVE-2017-15299 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.0). The vector string is CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2017-15299?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2017-15299. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2017-15299 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2017-15299 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476)?

The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL, typically causing a crash. View CWE-476 on MITRE CWE →