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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2014-3180

CRITICAL · 9.1 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-11-06
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 3.17 or later.
See remediation →
100/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
Remotely reachable No privileges Zero-click

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
In kernel/compat.c in the Linux kernel before 3.17, as used in Google Chrome OS and other products, there is a possible out-of-bounds read. restart_syscall uses uninitialized data when restarting compat_sys_nanosleep. NOTE: this is disputed because the code path is unreachable

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 · moderate confidence

Out-of-bounds read vulnerability in kernel/compat.c in the Linux kernel before 3.17. The restart_syscall function uses uninitialized data when restarting compat_sys_nanosleep, potentially allowing memory disclosure. Note: the vendor disputes this as exploitable, claiming the code path is unreachable.

MitigationApply kernel patch or upgrade to Linux kernel 3.17 or later. If patching is not feasible, consider kernel-level access controls and monitoring for unusual nanosleep behavior as a compensating control.

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:< 3.17
Chrome OsOperating system
Affected:all versions

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
Privileges
None
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H

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. Determine running kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to display the kernel version
    Affected if The displayed version is earlier than 3.17 (e.g., 3.16.x, 3.15.x, etc.)
  2. Verify kernel is Linux-based
    Confirm the kernel is Linux (not another Unix variant) by checking `uname -s` returns 'Linux'
    Affected if The kernel is Linux and version is < 3.17
  3. Check if compat syscall layer is enabled
    Inspect /proc/config.gz or /boot/config-$(uname -r) for CONFIG_COMPAT (or search for 'compat' in kernel config); alternatively, check if the system runs 32-bit executables on 64-bit kernel
    Affected if CONFIG_COMPAT is set (or 32-bit compatibility is enabled) AND kernel version is < 3.17
  4. Identify Chrome OS specifically
    Check for Chrome OS indicators: /etc/lsb-release contains 'Chrome' or /usr/bin/cros_version exists
    Affected if The system is Chrome OS (any version) regardless of kernel version since the vendor lists all versions as affected

The environment is affected if running Linux kernel version earlier than 3.17 with compat syscall support enabled, or if running any version of Chrome OS.

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 3.17 or later
Fixed in 3.17
Interim mitigation

Apply kernel patch or upgrade to Linux kernel 3.17 or later. If patching is not feasible, consider kernel-level access controls and monitoring for unusual nanosleep behavior as a compensating control.

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 3.17 or later

  1. 1. Identify the current Linux kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. 2. For systems running kernel < 3.17, plan for a kernel upgrade to version 3.17 or later
  3. 3. For Ubuntu/Debian: Run 'sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade' or install a newer kernel via 'sudo apt-get install linux-image-<version>'
  4. 4. For RHEL/CentOS: Run 'sudo yum update kernel'
  5. 5. For Chrome OS: Update the Chrome OS system via the built-in updater, which will include the fixed kernel version
  6. 6. After upgrade, reboot the system to load the new kernel
  7. 7. Verify the new kernel version with 'uname -r' to confirm version 3.17 or later is running
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require rebuilding third-party kernel modules and could introduce compatibility issues with older drivers or custom configurations; test thoroughly in non-production environments first

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
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
16.0 hours of engineering $2,800
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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-2014-3180 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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