CVE-2014-9914 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

Kernel and platform teams responsible for Linux systems, embedded devices, and Android builds that incorporate affected kernel versions. Administrators should prioritize systems running kernels in the vulnerable version ranges identified by NVD, especially where local users, containers, or other untrusted code can reach the kernel networking stack.

Technical summary

The vulnerability is described as a race condition in net/ipv4/datagram.c, specifically ip4_datagram_release_cb. According to NVD, incorrect locking expectations during concurrent access to internal data structures for IPv4 UDP sockets can result in a use-after-free. The weakness categories listed by NVD are CWE-362 and CWE-416. NVD’s affected ranges cover Linux kernel versions before 3.15.2, with additional backported vulnerable ranges listed for several stable branches, and Android through 7.1.1 in the CPE data.

Defensive priority

High. This is a local kernel memory-safety issue with potential privilege escalation impact, so patching should be prioritized on any exposed or multi-user Linux or Android system running an affected kernel branch.

Recommended defensive actions

• Upgrade to a kernel release that includes the upstream fix referenced by the Linux commit and the 3.15.2 changelog.
• Validate whether your distribution has backported the fix, since NVD lists multiple vulnerable version ranges across stable branches.
• Inventory Linux and Android devices to identify affected kernel versions, including embedded or vendor-customized builds.
• Restrict local access where possible until patched, because the attack vector is local.
• Monitor vendor advisories and package updates tied to the upstream kernel patch and release notes.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based on the NVD CVE record and the linked upstream Linux commit, Linux 3.15.2 changelog, and Android security bulletin references included in the source corpus. NVD identifies the issue as a race condition in ip4_datagram_release_cb with CWE-362 and CWE-416, and provides vulnerable version ranges for Linux kernel branches before 3.15.2 plus Android through 7.1.1. No exploit steps or unsupported impact claims are included.

Official resources