Nick Gregory, a threat researcher at Sophos, has identified a new critical Linux kernel vulnerability in the Netfilter firewall framework, that could be exploited by a local user to escalate their privileges and execute arbitrary code, leading to “Kernel Panic”. Kernel Panic is a Linux safety measure for when an internal fatal operating system error is detected. The detection of a fatal error tells the operating system that it would be unsafe to recover the critical processes running at the moment, leading to a full shutdown similar to the infamous Windows “Blue Screen of Death”. The flaw, tracked as CVE-2022-25636, is described as a heap out-of-bounds write that incorrectly handles the module’s hardware offload feature, and it can be exploited to allow attackers to escape containers to gain access to out-of-bounds memory, facilitating the privilege escalation and malicious code execution. This vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions 5.4 through 5.6.10, and at this time there are currently no security patches or mitigation techniques. The Ankura CTIX urges administrators and maintainers deploying the Netfilter framework to be on the alert for updates so that as soon as they are available, the flaw can be remediated. An update to this piece may be released in future FLASH updates.