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CVE-2016-4558

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows...

7.0 HighPublic exploitFix available

CVE-2016-4558 is a high vulnerability (CVSS 7.0) in Linux Kernel, published May 23, 2016. Public exploit code exists. EPSS puts the chance of exploitation in the next 30 days at 0.86%, the 58th percentile. Fixed in linux 4.5.3-1.

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Attack profile

How easy it is to exploit

Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges needed
Low
User interaction
None

What an attacker can affect

Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

Exploit likelihood

0.86%Down 1.4 points since Feb 4, 2022
90%50%10%1%

What each source reports

NVD Score used 7.0

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
CVE-2016-4558
CVSS 3.1
7.0 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 2.0
6.9 MediumAV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Updated
2026-11-02
CVE List No score

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
CVE-2016-4558
Updated
2026-11-02
EUVDEUVD-2016-5545 No score

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
EUVD-2016-5545
Updated
2026-11-03
GitHub AdvisoriesGHSA-283c-4h8h-4xmp 7.0

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows...

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
GHSA-283c-4h8h-4xmp
CVSS 3.0
7.0 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSV 7.0

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
CVE-2016-4558
CVSS 3.1
7.0 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVDEBIAN-CVE-2016-4558 7.0

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
DEBIAN-CVE-2016-4558
CVSS 3.1
7.0 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
Show 5 moreShow less
OSVUBUNTU-CVE-2016-4558 7.0

The BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel before 4.5.5 mishandles reference counts, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application on (1) a system with more than 32 Gb of memory, related to the program reference count or (2) a 1 Tb system, related to the map reference count.

Record
UBUNTU-CVE-2016-4558
CVSS 3.1
7.0 HighCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVSS 3.0
7.0 HighCVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVopenSUSE-SU-2024:10128-1 No score

kernel-debug-4.8.13-1.1 on GA media

These are all security issues fixed in the kernel-debug-4.8.13-1.1 package on the GA media of openSUSE Tumbleweed.

Record
openSUSE-SU-2024:10128-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3005-1 No score

linux-lts-xenial vulnerabilities

Justin Yackoski discovered that the Atheros L2 Ethernet Driver in the Linux kernel incorrectly enables scatter/gather I/O. A remote attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-2117)

Jann Horn discovered that eCryptfs improperly attempted to use the mmap() handler of a lower filesystem that did not implement one, causing a recursive page fault to occur. A local unprivileged attacker could use to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-1583)

Multiple race conditions where discovered in the Linux kernel's ext4 file system. A local user could exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service (disk corruption) by writing to a page that is associated with a different users file after unsynchronized hole punching and page-fault handling. (CVE-2015-8839)

Ralf Spenneberg discovered that the Linux kernel's GTCO digitizer USB device driver did not properly validate endpoint descriptors. An attacker with physical access could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-2187)

Vitaly Kuznetsov discovered that the Linux kernel did not properly suppress hugetlbfs support in X86 paravirtualized guests. An attacker in the guest OS could cause a denial of service (guest system crash). (CVE-2016-3961)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the ANSI/IEEE 802.2 LLC type 2 Support implementations in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4485)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the routing netlink socket interface (rtnetlink) implementation in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4486)

Jann Horn discovered that the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) implementation in the Linux kernel could overflow reference counters on systems with more than 32GB of physical ram and with RLIMIT_MEMLOCK set to infinite. A local unprivileged attacker could use to create a use-after- free situation, causing a denial of service (system crash) or possibly gain administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-4558)

Jann Horn discovered that the InfiniBand interfaces within the Linux kernel could be coerced into overwriting kernel memory. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to possibly gain administrative privileges on systems where InifiniBand related kernel modules are loaded. (CVE-2016-4565)

It was discovered that in some situations the Linux kernel did not handle propagated mounts correctly. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-4581)

Record
USN-3005-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3006-1 No score

linux vulnerabilities

Justin Yackoski discovered that the Atheros L2 Ethernet Driver in the Linux kernel incorrectly enables scatter/gather I/O. A remote attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-2117)

Jann Horn discovered that eCryptfs improperly attempted to use the mmap() handler of a lower filesystem that did not implement one, causing a recursive page fault to occur. A local unprivileged attacker could use to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-1583)

Multiple race conditions where discovered in the Linux kernel's ext4 file system. A local user could exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service (disk corruption) by writing to a page that is associated with a different users file after unsynchronized hole punching and page-fault handling. (CVE-2015-8839)

Ralf Spenneberg discovered that the Linux kernel's GTCO digitizer USB device driver did not properly validate endpoint descriptors. An attacker with physical access could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-2187)

Vitaly Kuznetsov discovered that the Linux kernel did not properly suppress hugetlbfs support in X86 paravirtualized guests. An attacker in the guest OS could cause a denial of service (guest system crash). (CVE-2016-3961)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the ANSI/IEEE 802.2 LLC type 2 Support implementations in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4485)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the routing netlink socket interface (rtnetlink) implementation in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4486)

Jann Horn discovered that the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) implementation in the Linux kernel could overflow reference counters on systems with more than 32GB of physical ram and with RLIMIT_MEMLOCK set to infinite. A local unprivileged attacker could use to create a use-after- free situation, causing a denial of service (system crash) or possibly gain administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-4558)

Jann Horn discovered that the InfiniBand interfaces within the Linux kernel could be coerced into overwriting kernel memory. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to possibly gain administrative privileges on systems where InifiniBand related kernel modules are loaded. (CVE-2016-4565)

It was discovered that in some situations the Linux kernel did not handle propagated mounts correctly. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-4581)

Record
USN-3006-1
Updated
2026-11-02
OSVUSN-3007-1 No score

linux-raspi2 vulnerabilities

Justin Yackoski discovered that the Atheros L2 Ethernet Driver in the Linux kernel incorrectly enables scatter/gather I/O. A remote attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-2117)

Jann Horn discovered that eCryptfs improperly attempted to use the mmap() handler of a lower filesystem that did not implement one, causing a recursive page fault to occur. A local unprivileged attacker could use to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code with administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-1583)

Multiple race conditions where discovered in the Linux kernel's ext4 file system. A local user could exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service (disk corruption) by writing to a page that is associated with a different users file after unsynchronized hole punching and page-fault handling. (CVE-2015-8839)

Ralf Spenneberg discovered that the Linux kernel's GTCO digitizer USB device driver did not properly validate endpoint descriptors. An attacker with physical access could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-2187)

Vitaly Kuznetsov discovered that the Linux kernel did not properly suppress hugetlbfs support in X86 paravirtualized guests. An attacker in the guest OS could cause a denial of service (guest system crash). (CVE-2016-3961)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the ANSI/IEEE 802.2 LLC type 2 Support implementations in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4485)

Kangjie Lu discovered an information leak in the routing netlink socket interface (rtnetlink) implementation in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could use this to obtain potentially sensitive information from kernel memory. (CVE-2016-4486)

Jann Horn discovered that the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF) implementation in the Linux kernel could overflow reference counters on systems with more than 32GB of physical ram and with RLIMIT_MEMLOCK set to infinite. A local unprivileged attacker could use to create a use-after- free situation, causing a denial of service (system crash) or possibly gain administrative privileges. (CVE-2016-4558)

Jann Horn discovered that the InfiniBand interfaces within the Linux kernel could be coerced into overwriting kernel memory. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to possibly gain administrative privileges on systems where InifiniBand related kernel modules are loaded. (CVE-2016-4565)

It was discovered that in some situations the Linux kernel did not handle propagated mounts correctly. A local unprivileged attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2016-4581)

Record
USN-3007-1
Updated
2026-11-02

Affected products

Affected packages

Affected packages
PackageAffectedFixed
linux
Debian:12
before 4.5.3-1
4.5.3-1
linux
Debian:13
before 4.5.3-1
4.5.3-1
linux
Debian:14
before 4.5.3-1
4.5.3-1
linux-lts-xenial
Ubuntu:14.04:LTS
before 4.4.0-24.43~14.04.1, plus listed versions
4.4.0-13.29~14.04.14.4.0-14.30~14.04.24.4.0-15.31~14.04.14.4.0-18.34~14.04.14.4.0-21.37~14.04.14.4.0-22.39~14.04.14.4.0-22.40~14.04.1
4.4.0-24.43~14.04.1
linux
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
before 4.4.0-24.43, plus listed versions
4.2.0-16.194.2.0-17.214.2.0-19.234.3.0-1.104.3.0-2.11
Show 21 moreShow less
4.3.0-5.164.3.0-6.174.3.0-7.184.4.0-2.164.4.0-4.194.4.0-6.214.4.0-7.224.4.0-8.234.4.0-9.244.4.0-10.254.4.0-11.264.4.0-12.284.4.0-13.294.4.0-14.304.4.0-15.314.4.0-16.324.4.0-17.334.4.0-18.344.4.0-21.374.4.0-22.394.4.0-22.40
4.4.0-24.43
linux-raspi2
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
before 4.4.0-1012.16, plus listed versions
4.2.0-1013.194.2.0-1014.214.3.0-1006.64.4.0-1003.44.4.0-1004.54.4.0-1009.104.4.0-1010.124.4.0-1010.13
4.4.0-1012.16
linux-snapdragon
Ubuntu:16.04:LTS
before 4.4.0-1015.18, plus listed versions
4.4.0-1012.124.4.0-1013.144.4.0-1013.15
4.4.0-1015.18
kernel-source
openSUSE:Tumbleweed
before 4.8.13-1.1
4.8.13-1.1

Public exploits

Links only. Every CVE stores no exploit code.

Public exploits
SourceLinkDate
Exploit-DBLinux Kernel (Ubuntu 16.04) - Reference Count Overflow Using BPF Maps2016-05-04

History

History
WhenChangedSources
2026-11-03aliasesEUVD
2026-11-02createdCVE List, Exploit-DB, GitHub Advisories, NVD, OSV

References

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