SOC status:Duty analyst on shift

UK Cyber Defence
VulnerabilityModified

CVE-2012-3375

The epoll_ctl system call in fs/eventpoll.c in the Linux kernel before 3.2.24 does not properly handle ELOOP errors in EPOLL_CTL_ADD operations, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (file-descriptor consumption and system crash) via a…

EXPLOIT ✓MEDIUM 4.9EPSS 1.02%

Does this matter?

A public exploit is published in Exploit-DB (verified), so the technical barrier is gone even though the severity is medium and EPSS is 1.0%. Treat it as high on anything reachable from the internet.

Description

The epoll_ctl system call in fs/eventpoll.c in the Linux kernel before 3.2.24 does not properly handle ELOOP errors in EPOLL_CTL_ADD operations, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (file-descriptor consumption and system crash) via a crafted application that attempts to create a circular epoll dependency. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2011-1083.

CVSS 2.0
4.9 MEDIUMAV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C
EPSS
1.02% probability · 63th percentile
Public exploits
1 in Exploit-DB · verified · first 5 July 2012
CISA KEV
Not listed
Affected
linux/linux kernel
Source
secalert@redhat.com
EPSS trend
0%3%5%26 October 2026: 1.02%26 October 202626 October 2026

EPSS 1.0% since 26 October 2026; no change recorded yet. Points are recorded when the score first appears and whenever it moves by a percentage point or more.

Public exploits (1)

Entries in Exploit-DB that cite this CVE. Links go to the Exploit-DB page and to the file in the public repository; nothing is hosted here. A verified tick means the Exploit-DB team confirmed the exploit works against the stated version.

EDB-IDTitleTypePublishedVerified
EDB-19605source ↗Linux Kernel 3.2.24 - 'fs/eventpoll.c' Local Denial of Servicelinux · Yurij M. Plotnikovdos5 July 2012yes

Source: NVD record, EPSS from FIRST.org, KEV from CISA, exploits from Exploit-DB. Refreshed daily. Download this record as JSON.