CVE-2017-14970

In lib/ofp-util.c in Open vSwitch (OvS) before 2.8.1, there are multiple memory leaks while parsing malformed OpenFlow group mod messages. NOTE: the vendor disputes the relevance of this report, stating "it can only be triggered by an OpenFlow controller, but OpenFlow controllers have much more direct and powerful ways to force Open vSwitch to allocate memory, such as by inserting flows into the flow table."

Published: 2017-10-02 Last update: 2026-05-13 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2017-14970 is rated Moderate Risk (46.6/100): CVSS Medium severity, with medium exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.51%). Review affected assets and schedule remediation.

Risk is dynamic; we continuously reassess and refresh what is shown on this page as upstream context changes.

Exploit prediction scoring system (EPSS) score for CVE-2017-14970

EPSS lead: Daily EPSS estimates relative likelihood of exploitation; percentile ranks this CVE among scored vulnerabilities (higher = more severe relative rank).

# Date Old EPSS score New EPSS score Delta (New - Old)
1 2026-03-12 0.65% 0.51% -0.14%
2 2025-03-30 2.32% 0.65% -1.66%
3 2025-03-29 — 2.32% —

Full EPSS history (8 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2017-14970

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.9 3.0 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.0/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:N)
Could be attacked over the internet or any normal routed network—not just someone sitting at the machine.
Attack complexity (AC:H)
Even with access, the exploit needs extra luck, timing, or a fussy environment to actually work.
Privileges required (PR:N)
No account or special rights needed—anonymous or random user is enough.
User interaction (UI:N)
Nobody has to click “OK” or open a trap file; it can work without a victim helping.
Scope (S:U)
Damage stays in the same “trust bubble” as the broken component—no big spill into unrelated systems.
Confidentiality (C:N)
Doesn’t really leak secrets in a meaningful way.
Integrity (I:N)
Data isn’t meaningfully altered or forged.
Availability (A:H)
Could take the service down hard or make it unusable for people who depend on it.
 2.2 3.6 [email protected]
4.3 2.0 MEDIUM
AV:N/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:P Click to expand
Access vector (AV:N)
Can be exploited remotely over network reachability.
Access complexity (AC:M)
Exploitation needs some favorable conditions, but not exceptional ones.
Authentication (AU:N)
No authentication is required.
Confidentiality impact (C:N)
No confidentiality impact.
Integrity impact (I:N)
No integrity impact.
Availability impact (A:P)
Partial availability impact.
 8.6 2.9 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2017-14970

OS Trackers for CVE-2017-14970

vendor priority summary link
debian unimportant CVE-2017-14970 unimportant priority: Debian including 1 source packages (openvswitch), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2017-14970
redhat — — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2017-14970
suse medium CVE-2017-14970 severity moderate: SUSE including 13 source package names (libopenvswitch-2_11-0, libopenvswitch-2_8-0, …), 36 product×package rows across 15 product lines (SUSE Linux Enterprise High Performance Computing 15-LTSS, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP2, … (15 product lines)): Known Not Affected 20, Fixed 16. https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2017-14970/
ubuntu low CVE-2017-14970 low priority: Ubuntu including 1 source packages (openvswitch), 6 status rows across 6 suites (artful, bionic, trusty, upstream, xenial, zesty): ignored 3, DNE 1, not-affected 1, released 1. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2017-14970

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2017-14970

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
openvswitch openvswitch <= 2.8.0 cpe:2.3:a:openvswitch:openvswitch:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2017-14970

cvelogic Threat Intelligence