CVE-2014-0196: Linux Kernel Race Condition Vulnerability

Q: How do I fix CVE-2014-0196?

linux kernel: upgrade to 3.2.59, 3.4.91, 3.10.40, 3.12.20, 3.14.4; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; enterprise linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Q: Is CVE-2014-0196 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2014-0196 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, so treat it as patch-now.

Q: What does CVE-2014-0196 affect?

CVE-2014-0196 affects linux kernel, debian linux, enterprise linux. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.5). The n_tty_write function in drivers/tty/n_tty.c in the Linux kernel through 3.14.3 does not properly manage tty driver access in the "LECHO & !OPOST" case, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system

Q: How urgent is CVE-2014-0196?

Priority 79/100. EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited; Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV); Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

Patch now

MEDIUM 5.5EXPLOITEDWATCHLISTUPGRADEMITIGATEMITIGATE

CVE-2014-0196 is a medium-severity flaw (CVSS 5.5) affecting linux kernel, debian linux, enterprise linux, reported as exploited in the wild. Below: why it ranks where it does, which versions are affected, what to do, and the exact commands.

The n_tty_write function in drivers/tty/n_tty.c in the Linux kernel through 3.14.3 does not properly manage tty driver access in the "LECHO & !OPOST" case, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system crash) or gain privileges by triggering a race condition involving read and write operations with long strings.

Why this priority

EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited
Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV)
Public exploit reference
On your watchlist

A fixed release or distro patch exists.

Risk facts

CVSS score	5.5 (Medium)
Attack vector	Local
Attack complexity	Low
Privileges needed	Low
User interaction	None
EPSS exploit chance	20.3% (top 3%)
CISA exploited list	Yes, fix due 2023-06-02
Weakness	CWE-362
Published	2014-05-07
Last modified	2026-06-17

Publisher (CNA): Red Hat, Inc. · Vendor: debian · linux · redhat · suse

Last updated 2026-06-17 · Sources: CVE Program, NVD, CISA KEV, EPSS and vendor advisories · How we score

Am I affected?

Timeline

2014-05-07 10:55 UTCPublished CVE record published
2023-05-12Exploited Added to the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list
2023-06-02Deadline CISA due date for US federal agencies to patch
2026-06-17 00:02 UTCUpdated Record last modified

linux linux kernel UPGRADE

Affected: > 2.6.31 and < 3.2.59 · >= 3.3 and < 3.4.91 · >= 3.5 and < 3.10.40 · >= 3.11 and < 3.12.20 · >= 3.13 and < 3.14.4 · 2.6.31 · 2.6.31 rc3 · 2.6.31 rc4

Fixed in: 3.2.59, 3.4.91, 3.10.40, 3.12.20, 3.14.4

Safe to downgrade to: no unaffected older release

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

debian debian linux MITIGATE

Affected: 6.0 · 7.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 6.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

redhat enterprise linux MITIGATE

Affected: 6.0

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 6.0

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

redhat enterprise linux eus MITIGATE

Affected: 6.3 · 6.4

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 6.3

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

redhat enterprise linux server eus MITIGATE

Affected: 6.3

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 6.3

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

suse suse linux enterprise desktop MITIGATE

Affected: 11 sp3

Fixed in: no fixed release known

Safe to downgrade to: a release before 11

Check your OS release

cat /etc/os-release; uname -r

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade

RHEL / Amazon Linux / Fedora

sudo dnf upgrade --refresh

Windows

Install the latest cumulative update from Windows Update

If no patch exists yet

OS downgrades are not safe. Apply the vendor mitigation from the advisory and restrict exposure.

Exact fixes by distribution

A distro patch exists: prefer upgrading over downgrading.

Fedora ELN · makedumpfile · FIXED · 1.8.0-1.eln159 · FEDORA-2026-3bf4582b1f · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-3bf4582b1f

Fedora 46 · python-resend · FIXED · 2.50.1-1.fc46 · FEDORA-2026-8c29ba68cc · source

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=FEDORA-2026-8c29ba68cc

Debian 12 · linux · FIXED · 3.14.4-1

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade linux dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' linux)" ge "3.14.4-1" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

Debian 13 · linux · FIXED · 3.14.4-1

sudo apt update && sudo apt install --only-upgrade linux dpkg --compare-versions "$(dpkg-query -W -f='${Version}' linux)" ge "3.14.4-1" && echo PATCHED || echo STILL-VULNERABLE

RHEL 6 · kernel · FIXED · kernel-2.6.32-358.6.1.el6

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2013:0744 rpm -q kernel

RHEL 6.2 Advanced Update Support · kernel · FIXED · kernel-2.6.32-220.51.1.el6

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2014:0520 rpm -q kernel

RHEL 6.3 EUS - Server and Compute Node Only · kernel · FIXED · kernel-2.6.32-279.43.2.el6

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2014:0512 rpm -q kernel

RHEL 7 · kernel · FIXED · kernel-3.10.0-123.1.2.el7

sudo dnf upgrade --advisory=RHSA-2014:0678 rpm -q kernel

RHEL 5 · kernel · NOT AFFECTED

Amazon Linux 1 · see advisory · FIXED · ALAS-2014-392 · source

sudo yum update --advisory=ALAS-2014-392

Public exploits and detection

Public code exists for this CVE. Treat unpatched systems as at risk, and only run PoCs in a lab.

GitHub PoC: tempbottle/CVE-2014-0196 (3 stars)
GitHub PoC: SunRain/CVE-2014-0196 (0 stars)
Write-up: bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1094232
Exploit-DB: Linux Kernel 3.14-rc1 < 3.15-rc4 (x64) - Raw Mode PTY Echo Race Condition Privilege Escalation

Verify at the official source NVD · CVE Program · CISA KEV catalog · Report a problem with this page
Scores and fixes here are computed automatically from those and other public sources. Confirm with the vendor advisory before changing production systems.

Quick answers

How do I fix CVE-2014-0196?

linux kernel: upgrade to 3.2.59, 3.4.91, 3.10.40, 3.12.20, 3.14.4; debian linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation; enterprise linux: mitigate or apply the listed mitigation. Exact commands for each OS are on this page.

Is CVE-2014-0196 being exploited?

Yes. CVE-2014-0196 is on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities list, so treat it as patch-now.

What does CVE-2014-0196 affect?

CVE-2014-0196 affects linux kernel, debian linux, enterprise linux. Severity is medium (CVSS 5.5). The n_tty_write function in drivers/tty/n_tty.c in the Linux kernel through 3.14.3 does not properly manage tty driver access in the "LECHO & !OPOST" case, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory corruption and system

How urgent is CVE-2014-0196?

Priority 79/100. EPSS top 3%: very likely to be exploited; Exploited in the wild (CISA KEV); Public exploit reference; On your watchlist

Software pages

Linux kernel vulnerabilities · Debian vulnerabilities

Related CVEs

CVE-2023-42756 MEDIUM 4.4 UPGRADE MITIGATE A flaw was found in the Netfilter subsystem of the Linux kernel
CVE-2026-63912 CRITICAL 9.8 UPGRADE In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: esp: restore combined single-frag l
CVE-2026-63913 HIGH 8.2 UPGRADE In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: conntrack: tcp: do not force C
CVE-2026-63914 HIGH 7.3 UPGRADE In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: xfrm: route MIGRATE notifications to call
CVE-2026-63915 HIGH 8.8 UPGRADE In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nfc: hci: fix out-of-bounds read in HCP h

References

← Back to latest CVEs