CVE-2015-8963: Linux Kernel

High severity, CVSS 7.0. EPSS: 1.4% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

Race condition in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 4.4 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (use-after-free) by leveraging incorrect handling of an swevent data structure during a CPU unplug operation.

Affected products

• Linux Linux Kernel: before 3.2.85 (fixed in 3.2.85); from 3.3, before 3.16.40 (fixed in 3.16.40); from 3.17, before 3.18.54 (fixed in 3.18.54); from 3.19, before 4.4 (fixed in 4.4)

Published 2016-11-16. Last modified 2026-06-17.