CVE-2017-7889
HIGHDescription
The mm subsystem in the Linux kernel through 3.2 does not properly enforce the CONFIG_STRICT_DEVMEM protection mechanism, which allows local users to read or write to kernel memory locations in the first megabyte (and bypass slab-allocation access restrictions) via an application that opens the /dev/mem file, related to arch/x86/mm/init.c and drivers/char/mem.c.
How to fix
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:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 23% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-732 (Incorrect Permission Assignment for Critical Resource) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2011-3923 | Critical | 9.8 | 89% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-15379 | Critical | 9.8 | 86% | - | - |
| CVE-2018-1000207 | High | 7.2 | 64% | - | - |
| CVE-2023-32986 | High | 8.8 | 63% | - | - |
| CVE-2021-44521 | Critical | 9.1 | 55% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2018-13374 | Medium | 4.3 | 38% | KEV + Ransom | Fix |
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Markdown
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Start freeThis 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.