CVE-2021-20206 is a vulnerability that has been identified in the Linux kernel. This flaw allows an attacker to conduct a denial-of-service attack by sending a specially crafted packet to a vulnerable system. The vulnerability exists due to a lack of proper validation in the SCTP protocol implementation, which can lead to a kernel panic and crash. The impact of this vulnerability is severe as attackers can exploit it remotely without any authentication.
The vulnerability was publicly disclosed on January 25, 2021, and was given a CVSS score of 7.5 out of 10, indicating its severity. The vulnerability was present in the Linux kernel versions 5.10.4 and earlier, affecting a wide range of Linux distributions. The vulnerability was patched in the Linux kernel version 5.10.5, which was released on January 26, 2021.
Despite the availability of patches, there have been reports of active exploitation attempts by threat actors. It is important for organizations to update their Linux systems to the latest kernel version as soon as possible to mitigate the risk of being affected by this vulnerability. Additionally, network administrators should consider implementing network segmentation and access control measures to limit the attack surface exposed to external networks.