CVE-2017-7478
HIGHEPSS 96th pctlDescription
OpenVPN version 2.3.12 and newer is vulnerable to unauthenticated Denial of Service of server via received large control packet. Note that this issue is fixed in 2.3.15 and 2.4.2.
How to fix
TridentStack Control can deploy fixes like this automatically across your Windows, macOS, and Linux fleet. See how it works
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
Impact
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Very high risk: more likely to be exploited than 96% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-617 vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2020-8617 | High | 7.5 | 93% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2020-36222 | High | 7.5 | 78% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2006-5779 | High | 7.5 | 76% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2021-27212 | High | 7.5 | 64% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-5740 | High | 7.5 | 60% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2023-28425 | Medium | 5.5 | 55% | - | Fix |
Common questions
How do I fix CVE-2017-7478?
Upgrade openvpn on debian 11 to 2.4.0-5 or later.
Is CVE-2017-7478 being actively exploited?
Not that we know of. CVE-2017-7478 is not in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. Its EPSS score of 13.9% is the estimated probability that it will be exploited in the next 30 days. That is higher than 96% of all scored CVEs.
How severe is CVE-2017-7478?
CVE-2017-7478 has a CVSS v3 base score of 7.5, rated high. CVSS rates the technical impact if the vulnerability is exploited, not how likely that is, so weigh it alongside the exploit-prediction score when you decide what to patch first.
What does CVE-2017-7478 affect?
Published advisories record a fix for openvpn (Debian). Only products with a sourced advisory are listed, so treat this as what we can cite rather than a complete inventory.
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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.