CVE-2016-2550: Linux Kernel

Medium severity, CVSS 5.5. EPSS: 0.5% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

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.

Affected products

• Linux Linux Kernel: up to and including 4.4.8

Published 2016-04-27. Last modified 2026-06-17.