How severe is CVE-2020-11565?

CVE-2020-11565 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2020-11565 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2020-11565?

CVE-2020-11565 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.

How do I fix CVE-2020-11565?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.

When was CVE-2020-11565 published?

CVE-2020-11565 was published on 2020-04-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2020-11565

CVE-2020-11565 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Linux Kernel with a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0. 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-787.

Key facts

Severity: Medium (CVSS 3.x base score 6.0)
CVSS v2: 3.6
EPSS exploit prediction: 1% (40th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-787
Affected product: Linux Linux Kernel
Published: 2020-04-06
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel through 5.6.2. mpol_parse_str in mm/mempolicy.c has a stack-based out-of-bounds write because an empty nodelist is mishandled during mount option parsing, aka CID-aa9f7d5172fa. NOTE: Someone in the security community disagrees that this is a vulnerability because the issue “is a bug in parsing mount options which can only be specified by a privileged user, so triggering the bug does not grant any powers not already held.”

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-11565?: An issue was discovered in the Linux kernel through 5.6.2. mpol_parse_str in mm/mempolicy.c has a stack-based out-of-bounds write because an empty nodelist is mishandled during mount option parsing, aka CID-aa9f7d5172fa. NOTE: Someone in the security community disagrees that this is a vulnerability because the issue “is a bug in parsing mount options which can only be specified by a privileged user, so triggering the bug does not grant any powers not already held.”
How severe is CVE-2020-11565?: CVE-2020-11565 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 6.0, rated medium severity. It is exploitable over local access with low attack complexity, requires high privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is none, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2020-11565 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 1% (40th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2020-11565?: CVE-2020-11565 primarily affects Linux Linux Kernel. In total, 5 product configurations (CPEs) are listed as vulnerable; see the affected-products list for the exact versions.
How do I fix CVE-2020-11565?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround.
When was CVE-2020-11565 published?: CVE-2020-11565 was published on 2020-04-06 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (5)

cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:*:*:*:esm:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:18.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*
cpe:2.3:o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:20.04:*:*:*:lts:*:*:*

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