CVE-2021-28715
MEDIUMDescription
Guest can force Linux netback driver to hog large amounts of kernel memory T[his CNA information record relates to multiple CVEs; the text explains which aspects/vulnerabilities correspond to which CVE.] Incoming data packets for a guest in the Linux kernel's netback driver are buffered until the guest is ready to process them. There are some measures taken for avoiding to pile up too much data, but those can be bypassed by the guest: There is a timeout how long the client side of an interface can stop consuming new packets before it is assumed to have stalled, but this timeout is rather long (60 seconds by default). Using a UDP connection on a fast interface can easily accumulate gigabytes of data in that time. (CVE-2021-28715) The timeout could even never trigger if the guest manages to have only one free slot in its RX queue ring page and the next package would require more than one free slot, which may be the case when using GSO, XDP, or software hashing. (CVE-2021-28714)
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:C/C:N/I:N/A:H
Exploit Intelligence
Low risk: more likely to be exploited than 25% of all known CVEs.
References
Related Vulnerabilities
Other CWE-770 (Allocation of Resources Without Limits or Throttling) vulnerabilities, ordered by exploit likelihood. View all
| CVE | Severity | CVSS | EPSS | Exploited | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVE-2023-50387 | High | 7.5 | 100% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-11478 | Medium | 5.3 | 95% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-11479 | High | 7.5 | 92% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2024-27316 | High | 7.5 | 91% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2022-30522 | High | 7.5 | 90% | - | Fix |
| CVE-2019-9515 | High | 7.5 | 88% | - | 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 2025-05-22.