Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2017-7618
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 · uneditedcrypto/ahash.c in the Linux kernel through 4.10.9 allows attackers to cause a denial of service (API operation calling its own callback, and infinite recursion) by triggering EBUSY on a full queue.
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 confidenceThe crypto/ahash.c API in Linux kernel through 4.10.9 has a recursive callback vulnerability where triggering EBUSY on a full queue causes the API operation to call its own callback, resulting in infinite recursion and denial of service.
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
>= 3.15, < 3.16.44>= 3.17, < 3.18.50>= 3.19, < 4.1.40>= 4.2, < 4.4.63>= 4.5, < 4.9.24>= 4.10, < 4.10.12CVSS 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 checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Check kernel versionRun 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version' to obtain the running kernel versionAffected if The kernel version falls within any of these affected ranges: 3.15 to 3.16.43, 3.17 to 3.18.49, 3.19 to 4.1.39, 4.2 to 4.4.62, 4.5 to 4.9.23, or 4.10 to 4.10.11
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Identify crypto module usageCheck /proc/crypto or lsmod to see which crypto modules are loaded; examine any custom kernel modules that may use the async hash (ahash) APIAffected if Any kernel module or userspace application is using the crypto/ahash API operations, particularly those that can queue hash requests
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Verify queue full condition is possibleReview application code or kernel module code that calls crypto_ahash_* functions and check if it handles EBUSY errors from full request queuesAffected if The code can trigger a full queue condition that returns EBUSY, which would then cause the recursive callback behavior
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Check for symptoms of recursionMonitor system for kernel stack overflow crashes or hung processes related to crypto operations; check dmesg for recursive fault messagesAffected if The system exhibits kernel panics or hangs involving crypto callback functions, indicating the recursion was triggered
A system is affected if it runs a kernel version in the affected ranges AND uses code that triggers the crypto/ahash API with conditions that can cause EBUSY on a full queue.
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 data3.16.443.18.504.1.40
Upgrade Linux kernel to version 4.10.10 or later which contains the fix for this ahash callback recursion issue.
Fix this in Linux Kernel
Scoped from the published advisory
- Consultation3.0 h
- Implementation4.0 h
- Testing4.0 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 $3,648.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2017-7618 — 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-2017-7618 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
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- Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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