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CVE-2019-6974

39
FAUCET Score

CVE-2019-6974 describes a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel, specifically within the kvm_ioctl_create_device function, affecting versions prior to 4.20.8. This flaw stems from a race condition during reference counting, impacting various Linux distributions including Canonical, Debian, F5, and Red Hat. With a CVSS score of 8.1 (HIGH), this vulnerability is remotely exploitable with high impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability, though it requires high attack complexity. While not listed on CISA's KEV catalog and showing no signs of active exploitation or significant community discussion, a public exploit (EDB-46388) demonstrating a NULL pointer dereference exists.

Impacted Technologies

VendorProductVersion(s)CPE
>= 3.10, < 3.16.64CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
>= 3.17, < 3.18.136CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
>= 3.19, < 4.4.176CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
>= 4.5, < 4.9.156CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
>= 4.10, < 4.14.99CPE matchmatch criteria
cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

CVSS Data

CVSS version used by this source: 3.1

8.1HIGH

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

Attack Vector
NETWORK
Attack Complexity
HIGH
Privileges Required
NONE
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality Impact
HIGH
Integrity Impact
HIGH
Availability Impact
HIGH
Exploitability Score
2.2
Impact Score
5.9
CvssVersion
3.1

Exploit Intelligence

EPSS Score
16.52%
Probability of exploitation in next 30 days
EPSS Percentile
96.7%
Percentile rank of EPSS score among Peer Group
As of 2026-07-28
Model: v2026.06.15
ExploitDB: EDB-46388 · Feb 15, 2019
This CVE's current EPSS score of 0.1652 is in the 82nd percentile among its peer group of 8,920 CVEs.

Social Chatter

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.0 Twitter, 0.1 Reddit, 0.1 Bluesky, 0.1 Mastodon, and 0.2 GitHub mentions.

Media Mentions

No media coverage found for this CVE.

The average CVE in this peer group has 0.1 InfoSec Media, 0.0 Vendor Blog, and 0.0 Security Researcher mentions.

Remediation

Patch Available

Vendor Patches (8)

github_advisorypatch availablevia nvd_reference
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Fixed in: kernel-rt-0:3.10.0-957.12.1.rt56.927.el7
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Fixed in: kernel-0:3.10.0-957.12.1.el7
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7Fixed in: kernel-alt-0:4.14.0-115.12.1.el7a
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 Advanced Update SupportFixed in: kernel-0:3.10.0-693.62.1.el7
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 Telco Extended Update SupportFixed in: kernel-0:3.10.0-693.62.1.el7
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 Update Services for SAP SolutionsFixed in: kernel-0:3.10.0-693.62.1.el7
View patch
redhatpatch availablevia redhat_api
Product: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.5 Extended Update SupportFixed in: kernel-0:3.10.0-862.44.2.el7
View patch

Vendor Advisories (2)

linuxCVE-2019-6974HIGH

In the Linux kernel before 4.20.8, kvm_ioctl_create_device in virt/kvm/kvm_main.c mishandles reference counting because of a race condition, leading to a use-after-free.

Feb 15, 2019
redhatCVE-2019-6974Important

Kernel: KVM: potential use-after-free via kvm_ioctl_create_device()

Feb 7, 2019

References

git.kernel.org / cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit
Mailing ListPatchVendor Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHBA-2019:0959
Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2019:0818
Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2019:0833
Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2019:2809
Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2019:3967
Third Party Advisory
access.redhat.com / errata/RHSA-2020:0103
Third Party Advisory
bugs.chromium.org / p/project-zero/issues/detail
ExploitMailing ListPatchThird Party Advisory
cdn.kernel.org / pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.14.99
Mailing ListVendor Advisory
cdn.kernel.org / pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.19.21
Mailing ListVendor Advisory
cdn.kernel.org / pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.20.8
Mailing ListVendor Advisory
cdn.kernel.org / pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.9.156
Mailing ListVendor Advisory
github.com / torvalds/linux/commit/cfa39381173d5f969daf43582c95ad679189cbc9
ExploitPatchThird Party Advisory
lists.debian.org / debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00034.html
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
lists.debian.org / debian-lts-announce/2019/04/msg00004.html
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
lists.debian.org / debian-lts-announce/2019/05/msg00002.html
Mailing ListThird Party Advisory
support.f5.com / csp/article/K11186236
Third Party Advisory
support.f5.com / csp/article/K11186236
usn.ubuntu.com / 3930-1
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3930-2
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3931-1
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3931-2
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3932-1
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3932-2
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3933-1
Third Party Advisory
usn.ubuntu.com / 3933-2
Third Party Advisory
exploit-db.com / exploits/46388
ExploitThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry
securityfocus.com / bid/107127
Broken LinkThird Party AdvisoryVDB Entry