CVE-2020-10690

CVE-2020-10690 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Redhat Enterprise Linux with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-416.

Key facts

Description

There is a use-after-free in kernel versions before 5.5 due to a race condition between the release of ptp_clock and cdev while resource deallocation. When a (high privileged) process allocates a ptp device file (like /dev/ptpX) and voluntarily goes to sleep. During this time if the underlying device is removed, it can cause an exploitable condition as the process wakes up to terminate and clean all attached files. The system crashes due to the cdev structure being invalid (as already freed) which is pointed to by the inode.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-10690?
There is a use-after-free in kernel versions before 5.5 due to a race condition between the release of ptp_clock and cdev while resource deallocation. When a (high privileged) process allocates a ptp device file (like /dev/ptpX) and voluntarily goes to sleep. During this time if the underlying device is removed, it can cause an exploitable condition as the process wakes up to terminate and clean all attached files. The system crashes due to the cdev structure being invalid (as already freed) which is pointed to by the inode.
How severe is CVE-2020-10690?
CVE-2020-10690 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.5, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-10690 being actively exploited?
It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 0% (28th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-10690?
CVE-2020-10690 primarily affects Redhat Enterprise Linux. In total, 24 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-10690?
Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-10690 published?
CVE-2020-10690 was published on 2020-05-08 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (24)

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