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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2017-16646

MEDIUM · 6.6 CVSS v3.0 Published 2017-11-07
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 4.13.11 or later.
See remediation →
68/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/dib0700_devices.c in the Linux kernel through 4.13.11 allows local users to cause a denial of service (BUG and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted USB device.

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

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's dib0700 USB DVB device driver (drivers/media/usb/dvb-usb/dib0700_devices.c) allows local users to trigger a kernel BUG (panic/crash) or potentially achieve unspecified other impact by connecting a crafted malicious USB device. This is a local denial-of-service vulnerability affecting kernel versions through 4.13.11.

MitigationUpgrade the Linux kernel to version 4.13.12 or later which contains the fix. As a temporary workaround, the dib0700_usb kernel module can be blacklisted or not loaded on systems that do not require DVB-USB functionality.

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:<= 4.13.11

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
Physical
Complexity
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.0/AV:P/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to get the running kernel version
    Affected if Kernel version is 4.13.11 or earlier (e.g., 4.13.10, 4.13.9, etc.)
  2. Check if dib0700_usb module is loaded
    Run 'lsmod | grep dib0700' to see if the module is currently loaded in memory
    Affected if The module 'dib0700' or 'dib0700_usb' appears in the loaded modules list
  3. Check if dib0700 driver is built into kernel
    Check kernel configuration file (usually /boot/config-$(uname -r) or /proc/config.gz) for 'CONFIG_DVB_USB_DIB0700=y' (built-in) versus 'CONFIG_DVB_USB_DIB0700=m' (module)
    Affected if The driver is compiled as built-in ('=y') rather than as a loadable module ('=m')
  4. Identify connected DVB-USB devices
    Run 'lsusb' and look for Digital TV (DVB) devices, or check 'dmesg' for recent 'dib0700' or 'DVB' kernel messages
    Affected if A dib0700-based DVB-USB device is connected or was recently detected by the system

You are affected if your kernel version is 4.13.11 or earlier AND the dib0700 USB DVB driver is either loaded as a module or built into the kernel AND a malicious DVB-USB device could be connected.

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.

From vendor data
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 4.13.11
Interim mitigation

Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 4.13.12 or later which contains the fix. As a temporary workaround, the dib0700_usb kernel module can be blacklisted or not loaded on systems that do not require DVB-USB functionality.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,640
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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-2017-16646 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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