How severe is CVE-2009-4272?

CVE-2009-4272 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.

Is CVE-2009-4272 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2009-4272?

CVE-2009-4272 primarily affects Redhat Virtualization. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2009-4272?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2009-4272 published?

CVE-2009-4272 was published on 2010-01-27 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

CVE-2009-4272

CVE-2009-4272 is a high-severity vulnerability in Redhat Virtualization with a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score of 11% places it in the 95th percentile, indicating an elevated likelihood of exploitation. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-667.

Key facts

Severity: High (CVSS 3.x base score 7.5)
CVSS v2: 7.8
EPSS exploit prediction: 11% (95th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-667
Affected product: Redhat Virtualization
Published: 2010-01-27
Last modified: 2026-06-16

Description

A certain Red Hat patch for net/ipv4/route.c in the Linux kernel 2.6.18 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (deadlock) via crafted packets that force collisions in the IPv4 routing hash table, and trigger a routing "emergency" in which a hash chain is too long. NOTE: this is related to an issue in the Linux kernel before 2.6.31, when the kernel routing cache is disabled, involving an uninitialized pointer and a panic.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-4272?: A certain Red Hat patch for net/ipv4/route.c in the Linux kernel 2.6.18 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (deadlock) via crafted packets that force collisions in the IPv4 routing hash table, and trigger a routing "emergency" in which a hash chain is too long. NOTE: this is related to an issue in the Linux kernel before 2.6.31, when the kernel routing cache is disabled, involving an uninitialized pointer and a panic.
How severe is CVE-2009-4272?: CVE-2009-4272 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 7.5, rated high severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity none, and availability high.
Is CVE-2009-4272 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 11% (95th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2009-4272?: CVE-2009-4272 primarily affects Redhat Virtualization. In total, 6 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2009-4272?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its high severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2009-4272 published?: CVE-2009-4272 was published on 2010-01-27 and last updated on 2026-06-16.

References

Affected products (6)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:2.6.18:-:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:a:redhat:virtualization:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_desktop:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_eus:5.4:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_server:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_workstation:5.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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