#VU42786 Improper Initialization in Linux kernel - CVE-2011-4087

Vulnerability identifier: #VU42786

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 6.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2011-4087

CWE-ID: CWE-665

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote non-authenticated attacker to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The br_parse_ip_options function in net/bridge/br_netfilter.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.39 does not properly initialize a certain data structure, which allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service by leveraging connectivity to a network interface that uses an Ethernet bridge device.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 2.6.0 - 2.6.38.8

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External links
https://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.39
https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=f8e9881c2aef1e982e5abc25c046820cd0b7cf64
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/10/28/14
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/f8e9881c2aef1e982e5abc25c046820cd0b7cf64

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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