The batman-adv driver in the Linux kernel has a resource exhaustion weakness in its tp_meter transaction manager. When the unacked_list remains bound, a message sender that transmits small messages with carefully chosen sequence numbers and gaps can force the kernel to allocate an arbitrarily large number of unacked_list entries. If the list grows beyond the imposed limit, the highest‑sequence entry is dropped, potentially leaving the process stalled with extreme sequence numbers. This scenario can either exhaust memory or inflate CPU time as the kernel repeatedly scans a long list, thereby denying service to legitimate traffic. The underlying weakness is a form of resource exhaustion, as identified by CWE‑770.

The vulnerability affects Linux systems running the Linux kernel with the batman-adv driver. The specific kernel versions and sub‑components that are vulnerable are not enumerated, but any kernel build that includes the unmodified tp_meter code for batman-adv prior to the mitigation is impacted.

The EPSS score is reported as less than 1 %, indicating a very low likelihood of exploitation at this time, and the vulnerability has not been listed in the CISA KEV catalog. Nevertheless, the severity potential is high because an attacker can force memory exhaustion or significant CPU consumption, leading to a denial of service. The attack vector is network‑based, requiring an attacker to send crafted packets to a target running batman‑adv. Given the low probability but high impact, the risk remains significant for environments that rely on batman‑adv for mesh networking.