Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2007-0997
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedRace condition in the tee (sys_tee) system call in the Linux kernel 2.6.17 through 2.6.17.6 might allow local users to cause a denial of service (system crash), obtain sensitive information (kernel memory contents), or gain privileges via unspecified vectors related to a potentially dropped ipipe lock during a race between two pipe readers.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceRace condition in the Linux kernel's tee() system call (sys_tee) affecting versions 2.6.17 through 2.6.17.6. The vulnerability involves a potentially dropped ipipe lock during a race between two pipe readers, allowing local users to cause denial of service (system crash), leak kernel memory contents, or potentially gain privileges.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
= 2.6.17= 2.6.17.1= 2.6.17.2= 2.6.17.3= 2.6.17.4= 2.6.17.5= 2.6.17.6CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Local
- Complexity
- M
- Authentication
- None
- Confidentiality
- Complete
- Integrity
- Complete
- Availability
- Complete
AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify the running kernel versionRun `uname -r` or read `/proc/version` to obtain the exact kernel version stringAffected if The version is 2.6.17, 2.6.17.1, 2.6.17.2, 2.6.17.3, 2.6.17.4, 2.6.17.5, or 2.6.17.6
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Confirm kernel build configurationCheck `/boot/config-$(uname -r)` or `/proc/config.gz` (if available) to verify this is a standard kernel buildAffected if The kernel matches the affected version range from step 1
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Verify pipe usage in the environmentMonitor for processes using the tee() system call via `strace -e tee` or by inspecting pipe file descriptors in /proc/*/fdAffected if The kernel is in the affected range AND the tee() system call is being invoked by applications (the vulnerability requires two concurrent pipe readers)
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Check for concurrent pipe reader processesIdentify processes that have pipes open and may call tee() simultaneously; use `lsof | grep pipe` or examine /proc/*/fd for pipe inodesAffected if Multiple processes or threads are reading from the same pipe concurrently while the kernel is in the affected version range
The system is affected only if the running kernel version is exactly 2.6.17 through 2.6.17.6 and applications actively use the tee() system call with concurrent pipe readers.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
From vendor dataUpgrade Linux kernel to a version beyond 2.6.17.6 where the race condition is fixed, or apply the relevant upstream kernel patch addressing the ipipe lock issue in the tee system call.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation8.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,480.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2007-0997 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2007-0997 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.
- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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