CVE-2019-8980

7.5 HIGH 6% exploit odds No fix listed Denial of service OS & kernel

What it is

A memory leak in the kernel_read_file function in fs/exec.c in the Linux kernel through 4.20.11 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by triggering vfs_read failures.

At a glance

Exploitability: Can be exploited over the network without logging in. High risk of service disruption.
Exploit odds: 5.9% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Fix: No patch or advisory is linked yet. Look at mitigations or restrict exposure.

Timeline

2019-02-21 05:29 UTC PublishedDisclosed publicly on CVE.org and NVD
2026-06-17 02:42 UTC Last updatedMost recent change to the record

Why it ranks here

Exploited in the wild: no, CISA does not list it.
Exploit odds: 5.9% in the next 30 days (EPSS).
Severity: 7.5 HIGH (CVSS).
Fix: none linked yet, which raises it.

Details

Published: 2019-02-21 05:29 UTC
Last modified: 2026-06-17 02:42 UTC
Exploit probability: 5.9% · EPSS, next 30 days
Weakness: CWE-401
Record status: Modified

Affected

Linux Kernel < 4.9.163
Linux Kernel < 4.14.106
Linux Kernel < 4.19.28
Linux Kernel < 4.20.15
Linux Kernel < 5.0.1
Linux Kernel 5.1
Canonical Ubuntu Linux 14.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux 16.04

Attack profile CVSS 3.1 · 7.5

Attack vector: Network
Complexity: Low
Privileges needed: None
User interaction: None
Scope: Unchanged
Confidentiality: None
Integrity: None
Availability: High

Raw vector

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

Is it in your code?

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References

NVD record · CVE.org record