#VU41532 Use-after-free in Linux kernel - CVE-2014-0203

Vulnerability identifier: #VU41532

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2014-0203

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local authenticated user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The __do_follow_link function in fs/namei.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.33 does not properly handle the last pathname component during use of certain filesystems, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (incorrect free operations and system crash) via an open system call.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 2.6.0 - 2.6.32.58

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=86acdca1b63e6890540fa19495cfc708beff3d8b
https://linux.oracle.com/errata/ELSA-2014-0771.html
https://linux.oracle.com/errata/ELSA-2014-3043.html
https://mirror.linux.org.au/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.33
https://secunia.com/advisories/59262
https://secunia.com/advisories/59309
https://secunia.com/advisories/59406
https://secunia.com/advisories/59560
https://www.securityfocus.com/bid/68125
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1094363
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/86acdca1b63e6890540fa19495cfc708beff3d8b

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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?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.