dbcve.org
Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2014-2523

HIGH · 10.0 CVSS v2.0 Published 2014-03-24
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.2.57 / 3.4.86 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click Patch available

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 · unedited
net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_proto_dccp.c in the Linux kernel through 3.13.6 uses a DCCP header pointer incorrectly, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code via a DCCP packet that triggers a call to the (1) dccp_new, (2) dccp_packet, or (3) dccp_error function.

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 confidence

The DCCP connection tracking module in the Linux kernel (net/netfilter/nf_conntrack_proto_dccp.c) incorrectly uses a DCCP header pointer, allowing a remote attacker to cause memory corruption via specially crafted DCCP packets. This affects the dccp_new, dccp_packet, and dccp_error functions, potentially enabling arbitrary code execution or kernel panic.

MitigationApply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a patched kernel version. As an immediate workaround, disable DCCP protocol support in the kernel or block DCCP traffic at network borders.

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
Affected:< 3.2.57>= 3.3, < 3.4.86>= 3.5, < 3.10.36>= 3.11, < 3.12.17>= 3.13.0, < 3.13.9
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 10.04

CVSS 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
Network
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:N/AC:L/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 checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check the running kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the kernel version, then compare against the affected ranges: < 3.2.57, >= 3.3 and < 3.4.86, >= 3.5 and < 3.10.36, >= 3.11 and < 3.12.17, >= 3.13.0 and < 3.13.9
    Affected if The kernel version falls within any of the listed vulnerable ranges
  2. Verify if the DCCP kernel module is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep dccp' or check /proc/modules for any loaded dccp-related modules
    Affected if The dccp module or nf_conntrack_proto_dccp module is loaded in memory
  3. Check if DCCP protocol support is compiled into the kernel
    Check for /sys/module/dccp* or look for CONFIG_IP_DCCP in /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz if available
    Affected if DCCP support is enabled in the kernel configuration (CONFIG_IP_DCCP or CONFIG_NF_CONNTRACK_DCCP is set to y or m)
  4. Check for active DCCP connections or sockets
    Run 'ss -d' or check /proc/net/dccp* to list any DCCP sockets or connections in use
    Affected if There are active DCCP connections or the system is accepting DCCP traffic

The system is affected if the kernel version is in the vulnerable ranges AND DCCP protocol support is enabled or loaded in the kernel.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

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.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 3.2.57 / 3.4.86 / 3.10.36 or later
Fixed in 3.2.573.4.863.10.36
Vendor patch www.openwall.com →
Interim mitigation

Apply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a patched kernel version. As an immediate workaround, disable DCCP protocol support in the kernel or block DCCP traffic at network borders.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 3.2.57, 3.4.86, 3.10.36, or 3.12.17 (depending on your current branch); or latest stable kernel 3.13+

  1. 1. Identify the currently running kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. 2. Determine which version branch your current kernel belongs to (e.g., 3.2.x, 3.4.x, 3.10.x, 3.12.x)
  3. 3. For 3.0-3.2.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 3.2.57 or later
  4. 4. For 3.3-3.4.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 3.4.86 or later
  5. 5. For 3.5-3.10.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 3.10.36 or later
  6. 6. For 3.11-3.12.x kernels: upgrade to kernel version 3.12.17 or later
  7. 7. For 3.13+ kernels: verify the fix is included by checking the changelog or upgrading to the latest stable kernel
  8. 8. For Ubuntu 10.04: this distribution reached end-of-life in April 2013; no official kernel patches are available; migration to a supported Ubuntu release is strongly recommended
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could affect proprietary kernel modules or drivers; Ubuntu 10.04 reached EOL and has no official security support

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
18.0 hours of engineering $3,040
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,864.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2014-2523 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2014-2523 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

What this is

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.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data