CVE Database›Document archive›CVE-2019-15921

CVE-2019-15921

kernel: memory leak in genl_register_family() in net/netlink/genetlink.c

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Severity

Low

Red Hat Product Security

4.7

CVSS 3.1

Review impact separately from score.

Published · September 4, 2019

Updated · June 28, 2026

Description

A flaw was found in the genl_register_family function in the Linux kernel. An attacker able to induce the error conditions could use this flaw to crash the system. The highest threat from this vulnerability is to system availability.

Statement

This issue is rated as having Low impact because of the preconditions needed to trigger the error/resource cleanup code path (system-wide out-of-memory condition, high privileges or physical access). The generic netlink is a way for kernel modues to easily communicate with userspace using netlink. genl_register_family is thus called by kernel modules (code) only and it's hard for an attacker to invoke (module reloads?) it let alone fail on the right place.

CVSS score applicability

The CVSS score(s) listed for this vulnerability do not reflect the associated product's status, and are included for informational purposes to better understand the severity of this vulnerability.

Mitigation

Mitigation for this issue is either not available or the currently available options don't meet the Red Hat Product Security criteria comprising ease of use and deployment, applicability to widespread installation base or stability.

CVSS / CWE

CVSS 3.1 · 4.7
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CWE-401 · Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime