dbcve.org
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system · Redhat

CVE-2017-3144

HIGH · 7.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2019-01-16
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
84/100
Remediation priority · High
High EPSS 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
A vulnerability stemming from failure to properly clean up closed OMAPI connections can lead to exhaustion of the pool of socket descriptors available to the DHCP server. Affects ISC DHCP 4.1.0 to 4.1-ESV-R15, 4.2.0 to 4.2.8, 4.3.0 to 4.3.6. Older versions may also be affected but are well beyond their end-of-life (EOL). Releases prior to 4.1.0 have not been tested.

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 vulnerability exists in ISC DHCP's OMAPI (Object Management API) component where closed connections are not properly cleaned up, causing socket descriptors to accumulate. Over time, this exhausts the available descriptor pool, leading to denial of service as the DHCP server can no longer accept new connections.

MitigationUpgrade ISC DHCP to a patched version (4.1-ESV-R16, 4.2.9, or 4.3.7 or later) or disable OMAPI if not required.

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
Enterprise Linux DesktopOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux ServerOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Enterprise Linux Server AusOperating system
Affected:= 7.4= 7.6
Enterprise Linux Server EusOperating system
Affected:= 7.4= 7.5= 7.6
Enterprise Linux Server TusOperating system
Affected:= 7.4= 7.6
Enterprise Linux WorkstationOperating system
Affected:= 7.0
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 14.04= 16.04= 17.10
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 8.0= 9.0

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
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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 checks

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

  1. Verify OMAPI is enabled in DHCP configuration
    Inspect /etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf and look for 'omapi-port' or OMAPI-related configuration statements. Also check for any included configuration files in /etc/dhcp/
    Affected if OMAPI configuration directives (such as 'omapi-port') are present and uncommented, indicating OMAPI is active
  2. Confirm ISC DHCP version
    Run 'dhcpd -v' or 'rpm -q dhcp' (RHEL) or 'dpkg -l isc-dhcp-server' (Ubuntu/Debian) to retrieve the installed DHCP server version
    Affected if The installed version is one of the vulnerable releases: ISC DHCP 4.1-ESV versions before R16, 4.2.x before 4.2.9, or 4.3.x before 4.3.7
  3. Check OMAPI port is listening
    Run 'netstat -tlnp | grep 7911' or 'ss -tlnp | grep 7911' to see if the OMAPI port (default 7911) is open and listening
    Affected if Port 7911 is open and bound to dhcpd, indicating OMAPI is actively accepting connections
  4. Confirm OS version matches affected releases
    Run 'cat /etc/redhat-release' (RHEL) or 'cat /etc/lsb-release' (Ubuntu) or 'cat /etc/debian_version' (Debian) to identify the exact OS version
    Affected if The OS is RHEL 7.0, 7.4, 7.5, or 7.6; Ubuntu 14.04, 16.04, or 17.10; or Debian 8.0 or 9.0, and the DHCP version is unpatched

A system is affected if OMAPI is enabled (configured and listening) AND the ISC DHCP version falls within the vulnerable range on an affected OS version, as the descriptor leak only occurs when OMAPI is actively processing connections.

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
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Upgrade ISC DHCP to a patched version (4.1-ESV-R16, 4.2.9, or 4.3.7 or later) or disable OMAPI if not required.

Fix this in Enterprise Linux Desktop Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
13.0 hours of engineering $2,280
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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-2017-3144 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
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