Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-17975
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 · uneditedUse-after-free in the usbtv_probe function in drivers/media/usb/usbtv/usbtv-core.c in the Linux kernel through 4.14.10 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact by triggering failure of audio registration, because a kfree of the usbtv data structure occurs during a usbtv_video_free call, but the usbtv_video_fail label's code attempts to both access and free this data structure.
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 confidenceUse-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's usbtv driver where the usbtv data structure is freed during usbtv_video_free call, but the usbtv_video_fail error handler code attempts to access and free the same already-freed data structure when audio registration fails, leading to system crash or potential exploitation.
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
<= 4.14.10CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
-
Check kernel versionRun `uname -r` to get the running kernel versionAffected if Kernel version is 4.14.10 or lower (4.14.x series <= 4.14.10)
-
Verify usbtv driver availabilityRun `modinfo usbtv` or check if the driver exists in /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/kernel/drivers/media/usb/usbtv*Affected if The usbtv driver module exists in the system
-
Identify connected USB TV devices using usbtvRun `lsusb` and look for USB video devices, or check `video4linux` devices via `ls /dev/video*`Affected if A USB video capture device supported by the usbtv driver is attached and enumerated
-
Confirm driver is loadedRun `lsmod | grep usbtv` to check if the driver module is currently loadedAffected if The usbtv module is loaded into the kernel
-
Inspect usbtv driver source for fix presenceCheck the usbtv driver source file (typically drivers/media/usb/usbtv/usbtv-core.c) for the usbtv_video_fail function to see if it properly checks for NULL before accessing freed structureAffected if The driver source still contains the vulnerable code path where usbtv_video_fail accesses the data structure after it may have been freed by usbtv_video_free
The system is affected if the kernel version is 4.14.10 or earlier AND the usbtv USB video driver is loaded or available for use with a connected USB TV capture device.
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 dataUpdate the Linux kernel to a version newer than 4.14.10 which contains the fix for this use-after-free vulnerability in the usbtv USB video driver.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing3.0 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 $3,088.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-17975 — 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-2017-17975 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
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.
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
- No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
- No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data