CVE-2020-15436: Use-after-free vulnerability in fs/block_dev.c in the Linux kernel before 5.8 allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of ser

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

• broadcom brocade fabric operating system firmwareall versions
• linux linux kernel4.5 and later · before 4.9.229
• linux linux kernel4.10 and later · before 4.14.186
• linux linux kernel2.6.38 and later · before 4.4.229
• linux linux kernel4.20 and later · before 5.4.49
• linux linux kernel5.5 and later · before 5.7.6
• linux linux kernel4.15 and later · before 4.19.130
• netapp a250 firmwareall versions
• netapp a700s firmwareall versions
• netapp aff 500f firmwareall versions
• netapp aff 8300 firmwareall versions
• netapp aff 8700 firmwareall versions
• netapp aff a400 firmwareall versions
• netapp cloud backupall versions
• netapp fabric-attached storage a400 firmwareall versions
• netapp fas 500f firmwareall versions
• netapp fas 8300 firmwareall versions
• netapp fas 8700 firmwareall versions
• netapp h410c firmwareall versions
• netapp h610c firmwareall versions

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (openEuler). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

• n/a linux kernel

  • 5.7 (verified), possibly others 4.18affected

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

• CVE-2026-31431crypto: algif_aead - Revert to operating out-of-placeKEV
  90Now
• CVE-2022-0847A flaw was found in the way the "flags" member of the new pipe buffer structure was lacking proper initialization in copy_page_to_iter_pipe KEV
  89Now
• CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
  85Now

Published before and after this one in the same product

• ← EarlierCVE-2020-28974Nov 20, 2020 · A slab-out-of-bounds read in fbcon in the Linux kernel before 5.9.7 could be used by local attackers to read privileged information or poten
  20Monitor
• ← EarlierCVE-2020-12351Nov 23, 2020 · Improper input validation in BlueZ may allow an unauthenticated user to potentially enable escalation of privilege via adjacent access.
  37Monitor
• Later →CVE-2020-15437Nov 23, 2020 · The Linux kernel before version 5.8 is vulnerable to a NULL pointer dereference in drivers/tty/serial/8250/8250_core.c:serial8250_isa_init_p
  17Monitor

Root cause

After a memory region is freed, another reference pointing to it is still used. By then, the same region may have been allocated for different data.

A representative example of this vulnerability class. Not the vendor's source code; it shows the faulty pattern and its fix.

1free(dev->buf);2/* ... another thread is still running ... */3process(dev->buf);

1lock(&dev->lock);2free(dev->buf);3dev->buf = NULL;4unlock(&dev->lock);

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.