CVE & CISA-KEV Catalog

CVE-2017-15102

MEDIUM
6.3
CVSS v3
NVD

Description

The tower_probe function in drivers/usb/misc/legousbtower.c in the Linux kernel before 4.8.1 allows local users (who are physically proximate for inserting a crafted USB device) to gain privileges by leveraging a write-what-where condition that occurs after a race condition and a NULL pointer dereference.

How to fix

Remediation Available
linuxDebian
Fixed in:4.7.8-1CVE-2017-15102
Fixed in:4.7.8-1CVE-2017-15102
Fixed in:4.7.8-1CVE-2017-15102
Fixed in:4.7.8-1CVE-2017-15102
linuxUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-genericUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-generic-lpaeUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-lowlatencyUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-powerpc-e500Ubuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-powerpc-e500mcUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-powerpc-smpUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-powerpc64-embUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1
linux-image-3.13.0-142-powerpc64-smpUbuntu
Fixed in:3.13.0-142.191USN-3583-1

Remediation is compiled from vendor and distribution security advisories. Always confirm against the linked source for your exact version and platform.

CVSS v3 Vector

Exploitability

Attack VectorPhysical
Attack ComplexityHigh
Privileges RequiredLow
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged

Impact

ConfidentialityHigh
IntegrityHigh
AvailabilityHigh

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

Exploit Intelligence

0.39%probability of exploitation in 30 days
31stpercentile

Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 31% of all known CVEs.

References

Related Vulnerabilities

Other CWE-476 (NULL Pointer Dereference) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all

CVESeverityCVSSEPSSExploitedFix
CVE-2023-21758High7.592%-Fix
CVE-2023-21547High7.588%-Fix
CVE-2014-3470Medium4.386%-Fix
CVE-2021-44224High8.282%-Fix
CVE-2016-0742High7.582%-Fix
CVE-2009-1386Medium5.080%-Fix
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This product uses NVD data but is not endorsed or certified by the NVD. EPSS scores courtesy of FIRST.org (https://www.first.org/epss). Source: CISA KEV Catalog. Data as of 2026-05-13.