CVE-2014-5045: The mountpoint_last function in fs/namei.c in the Linux kernel before 3.15.8 does not properly maintain a c...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is a local Linux kernel flaw, not a remote internet-facing bug. A user who already has local access may trigger bad reference-count handling during unmount operations involving symlinks, causing denial of service through memory consumption or use-after-free. The sources also mention possible unspecified impact, but do not prove code execution. Exposure is most likely on Linux systems running kernels before 3.15.8, or vendor kernels without the relevant backport. Practical risk depends on whether untrusted local users have accounts or execution paths on the host. The provided source data does not enumerate specific distributions beyond referenced vendor advisories. Schedule remediation in normal vulnerability maintenance unless the environment hosts untrusted local users or multi-tenant workloads. In those cases, prioritize faster because local denial of service against shared Linux hosts can affect availability and tenant isolation. Mitigation focus: Upgrade to a kernel containing the upstream fix or Linux 3.15.8 equivalent.; Check vendor advisories for backported fixes before relying on upstream version numbers.; Review Red Hat RHSA-2015:0062 if managing affected Red Hat-family systems..

Prepared

Jun 14, 2026, 07:14 UTC (UTC+00:00)

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