# CVE-2006-0039: Race condition in n/a

> Local attackers with CAP_NET_ADMIN can exploit a race condition in netfilter to read kernel memory via buffer over-read.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.7 (`AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** An administrator
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 19 May 2006
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-25rg-6fcp-95mq

## What is CVE-2006-0039?

CVE-2006-0039 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 May 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

Race condition in the do_add_counters function in netfilter for Linux kernel 2.6.16 allows local users with CAP_NET_ADMIN capabilities to read kernel memory by triggering the race condition in a way that produces a size value that is inconsistent with allocated memory, which leads to a buffer over-read in IPT_ENTRY_ITERATE.

Weakness: CWE-362 (Concurrent Execution using Shared Resource with Improper Synchronization)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2006-0039?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2006-0039?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2006-0039 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2006-0039 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2006-0039 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2006-0039 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 May 2006. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2006-0039 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0039/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0039/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2006-0039
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2006-0039
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2006-0039

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2006-0039/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.