CVE-2003-1604: The redirect_target function in net/ipv4/netfilter/ipt_REDIRECT.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.0 allows r...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is an old Linux kernel denial-of-service flaw. Under a specific network configuration, traffic reaching a netfilter REDIRECT rule could crash kernel packet handling through a NULL pointer dereference. The main business concern is availability on very old or unsupported Linux systems, especially embedded appliances or legacy network hosts. Likely exposure is limited to legacy Linux kernels before 2.6.0 or vendor kernels carrying the vulnerable REDIRECT behavior. Modern supported distributions are unlikely to run this exact code path, but embedded, abandoned, or long-lived network appliances should be checked. Treat this as a legacy exposure cleanup item unless a critical system still runs an affected kernel. If found on internet-facing or operationally important equipment, prioritize upgrade or retirement because exploitation causes service disruption, not data theft. Mitigation focus: Upgrade affected Linux kernels to a fixed or currently supported vendor release.; Check Red Hat, SUSE, or relevant vendor advisories for backported fixes.; Prioritize replacement of unsupported Linux 2.4-era systems..

Prepared

Jun 13, 2026, 14:44 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.