linux — security advisory
There is a use-after-free in kernel versions before 5.5 due to a race condition between the release of ptp_clock and cdev while resource deallocation. When a (high privileged) process allocates a ptp device file (like /dev/ptpX) and voluntarily goes to sleep. During this time if the underlying device is removed, it can cause an exploitable condition as the process wakes up to terminate and clean all attached files. The system crashes due to the cdev structure being invalid (as already freed) which is pointed to by the inode.
- Products
- linux
- Affected versions
- Not specified
- Fixed versions
- 5.4.8-1
- CVEs
- CVE-2020-10690
- Confirmed fixed CVEs
- Not specified
- Updated in this feed
- 1 Nov 2026, 12:26 UTC · Revision 1
Source evidence
There is a use-after-free in kernel versions before 5.5 due to a race condition between the release of ptp_clock and cdev while resource deallocation. When a (high privileged) process allocates a ptp device file (like /dev/ptpX) and voluntarily goes to sleep. During this time if the underlying device is removed, it can cause an exploitable condition as the process wakes up to terminate and clean all attached files. The system crashes due to the cdev structure being invalid (as already freed) which is pointed to by the inode.
osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690
linux
Fixed versions: 5.4.8-1
linux
Fixed versions: 5.4.8-1
linux
Fixed versions: 5.4.8-1
Complete source record
{
"id": "e5603858faa893f45eaec6c93b355d432d929e0e6e094f20b6b4d02cf018a7ac",
"url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690",
"method": "structured",
"payload": {
"kind": "advisory",
"title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690",
"summary": "There is a use-after-free in kernel versions before 5.5 due to a race condition between the release of ptp_clock and cdev while resource deallocation. When a (high privileged) process allocates a ptp device file (like /dev/ptpX) and voluntarily goes to sleep. During this time if the underlying device is removed, it can cause an exploitable condition as the process wakes up to terminate and clean all attached files. The system crashes due to the cdev structure being invalid (as already freed) which is pointed to by the inode.",
"evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690",
"products": [
{
"name": {
"value": "linux",
"evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "5.4.8-1",
"evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "linux",
"evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "5.4.8-1",
"evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
},
{
"name": {
"value": "linux",
"evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
},
"prerequisites": [],
"fixed_versions": [
{
"value": "5.4.8-1",
"evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
}
],
"affected_versions": []
}
],
"severity": "medium",
"structured": {
"id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690",
"aliases": [
"DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690"
],
"metrics": [
{
"type": "CVSS_V3",
"score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H"
}
],
"affected": [
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "5.4.8-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "linux",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
"ecosystem": "Debian:12"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "5.4.8-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "linux",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=trixie",
"ecosystem": "Debian:13"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
},
{
"ranges": [
{
"type": "ECOSYSTEM",
"events": [
{
"introduced": "0"
},
{
"fixed": "5.4.8-1"
}
]
}
],
"package": {
"name": "linux",
"purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=forky",
"ecosystem": "Debian:14"
},
"database_specific": {
"source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2020-10690.json"
},
"ecosystem_specific": {
"urgency": "not yet assigned"
}
}
],
"modified": "2026-10-26T12:00:08.877905838Z",
"provider": "osv",
"upstream": [
"CVE-2020-10690"
],
"references": [
"https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2020-10690"
]
},
"related_cves": [
{
"value": "CVE-2020-10690",
"evidence": "/upstream"
}
],
"security_relevant": true,
"severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
},
"source_id": "core-osv",
"document_id": 451000,
"published_at": "2020-05-08T15:15:11.88+00:00"
}