#VU19284 Permissions, Privileges, and Access Controls in Linux kernel


Published: 2020-03-18 | Updated: 2021-11-25

Vulnerability identifier: #VU19284

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 7.5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:H/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-13272

CWE-ID: CWE-264

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: Yes

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform unauthorized actions on a targeted system.

The vulnerability exists when recording the credentials of a process that will create a ptrace relationship in the "ptrace_link" function in the "kernel/ptrace.c" file. A local authenticated user can create a specially crafted application and escalate privileges on the system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.1.1 - 5.1.16

External links
http://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/6994eefb0053799d2e07cd140df6c2ea106c41ee
http://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/
http://github.com/bcoles/kernel-exploits/tree/master/CVE-2019-13272
http://github.com/rapid7/metasploit-framework/blob/master/modules/exploits/linux/local/ptrace_trace...

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

Yes. This vulnerability is being exploited in the wild.


Latest bulletins with this vulnerability


Red Hat update for kernel-alt
Red Hat update for kernel
Red Hat update for kernel-rt
Privilege escalation in Linux Kernel ptrace_link
Debian update for linux