When XDP programs drop packets in non‑zero‑copy mode, the driver no longer recycles the associated page buffers, causing a memory leak that can deplete system memory and trigger an out‑of‑memory kill. This represents a classic memory‑leak weakness (CWE‑772) that can lead to a denial‑of‑service state affecting the entire host because the kernel eventually terminates processes or the system.

The flaw exists in the Linux kernel’s TI ICSSG PRU Ethernet driver (net:ti:icssg‑prueth). Any Linux kernel release that has not incorporated the patch commit is affected, regardless of distribution. No specific version range is provided, so any kernel before the fix should be considered vulnerable.

The EPSS score for the vulnerability is below 1 %, indicating a low likelihood of exploitation. The CVSS score is 7.5, reflecting a high severity. The vulnerability is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog. An attacker would need to deliver packets that are processed by an XDP program performing XDP_DROP in standard page‑pool mode to trigger the memory leak. Exploitation requires local kernel execution via legitimate traffic rather than a remote code‑execution vector.