HOMEVULNERABILITIESCVE-2014-7970
MEDIUM

CVE-2014-7970

CWE-400Published: October 13, 2014· Updated: Jun 17, 2026

5.5
CVSS v3.1

Official Description

The pivot_root implementation in fs/namespace.c in the Linux kernel through 3.17 does not properly interact with certain locations of a chroot directory, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (mount-tree loop) via . (dot) values in both arguments to the pivot_root system call.

NVD Source

Technical Analysis

CVE-2014-7970 requires local access, meaning attackers must already have a foothold on the target system.

Exploitation requires low privileges, which limits the exposure to scenarios where an attacker has already gained initial access.

A successful exploit results in availability disruption (denial of service), with a CVSS base score of 5.5.

CVSS v3.1 Vector Breakdown

Exploitability
Attack VectorLocal
Attack ComplexityLow
Privileges Req.Low
User InteractionNone
ScopeUnchanged
Impact
ConfidentialityNone
IntegrityNone
AvailabilityHigh
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Affected Vendors & Products

Canonical1 product(s)
ubuntu linux
Linux1 product(s)
linux kernel
novell1 product(s)
suse linux enterprise server
Source: NVD CPE · 4 total CPE entries

Exploit & PoC Resources

NO KNOWN EXPLOITNo public exploit confirmed at this time
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Official Patches & Advisories

All References (32)

http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2014/10/08/21Mailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/70319Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1030991Third Party Advisory · VDB Entry
http://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-fsdevel/msg79153.htmlExploit · Mailing List · Patch · Third Party Advisory
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1151095Issue Tracking · Patch · Third Party Advisory

Quick Facts

CVE IDCVE-2014-7970
CVSS Score5.5 / 10
SeverityMEDIUM
WeaknessCWE-400
CISA KEVNo
Affected3 vendor(s)
PublishedOct 13, 2014

Related CVEs (CWE-400)

Recommended Actions

  • Apply vendor patches immediately
  • Monitor CVE-2014-7970 in threat intel feeds
  • Review IDS/IPS signatures for exploitation attempts
Data sourced from NVD (NIST), CISA KEV, and EPSS (FIRST). Analysis generated by CTIWATCH.COM. CVE data is provided under the NVD usage policy.