CVE-2023-3772 | Kernel: xfrm: null pointer dereference in xfrm_update_ae_params()

A flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s IP framework for transforming packets (XFRM subsystem). This issue may allow a malicious user with CAP_NET_ADMIN privileges to directly dereference a NULL pointer in xfrm_update_ae_params(), leading to a possible kernel crash and denial of service.

Published: 2023-07-25 Last update: 2026-06-17 Assigner: [email protected] Source: [email protected]
NVD Status：Modified，CVE State: published
View at NVD, CVE.org, EUVD

CVE-2023-3772 is rated Low Risk (35/100): CVSS Medium severity, with low exploitation likelihood (EPSS 0.45%). Monitor for updates and reassess as exploit intelligence or EPSS changes.

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-2023-3772

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 2026-06-15 0.01% 0.45% +0.44%
2 2025-11-21 0.05% 0.01% -0.04%
3 2025-11-18 — 0.05% —

Full EPSS history (12 records total)

Common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) metrics for CVE-2023-3772

CVSS metrics for this CVE.

Base score Version Severity Vector Exploitability Impact Score source
5.5 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:L)
A normal user session is enough; they don’t have to be admin.
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.
 1.8 3.6 [email protected]
4.4 3.1 MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H Click to expand
Attack vector (AV:L)
They already need access on the box, or another person has to do something wrong; it’s not a remote drive-by.
Attack complexity (AC:L)
Once they can reach the bug, pulling it off is straightforward—no weird race conditions or rare setup.
Privileges required (PR:H)
They need powerful rights—admin, root, or similar—before this pays off.
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.
 0.8 3.6 [email protected]

Weakness enumeration for CVE-2023-3772

OS Trackers for CVE-2023-3772

vendor priority summary link
debian not yet assigned CVE-2023-3772 not yet assigned priority: Debian including 1 source packages (linux), 5 status rows across 5 suites (bookworm, bullseye, forky, sid, trixie): resolved 5. https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2023-3772
redhat medium — https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-3772
suse medium — https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2023-3772/
ubuntu medium CVE-2023-3772 medium priority: Ubuntu including 167 source packages (linux, linux-allwinner, …), 1873 status rows across 12 suites (bionic, focal, jammy, lunar, mantic, noble, oracular, plucky, questing, trusty, upstream, xenial): DNE 1428, released 238, not-affected 115, ignored 92. https://ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2023-3772

Affected software / configurations for CVE-2023-3772

Vendor Product Version Raw CPE
redhat enterprise_linux 8.0 cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat enterprise_linux 9.0 cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat enterprise_linux_for_real_time 8.0 cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_for_real_time:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
redhat enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv 8.0 cpe:2.3:o:redhat:enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv:8.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
fedoraproject fedora — cpe:2.3:o:fedoraproject:fedora:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
linux linux_kernel — cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:-:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 10.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:10.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
debian debian_linux 12.0 cpe:2.3:o:debian:debian_linux:12.0:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

References for CVE-2023-3772

cvelogic Threat Intelligence