#VU45146 Resource management error in Linux kernel - CVE-2011-1083

Vulnerability identifier: #VU45146

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 5.5 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:A/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2011-1083

CWE-ID: CWE-399

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: Yes

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 epoll implementation in the Linux kernel 2.6.37.2 and earlier does not properly traverse a tree of epoll file descriptors, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (CPU consumption) via a crafted application that makes epoll_create and epoll_ctl system calls.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 2.6.0 - 2.6.37.1

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External links
https://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/1105744
https://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/1105888
https://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/1106686
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-04/msg00021.html
https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2012-05/msg00013.html
https://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/03/02/1
https://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/03/02/2
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2012-0862.html
https://secunia.com/advisories/43522
https://secunia.com/advisories/48115
https://secunia.com/advisories/48410
https://secunia.com/advisories/48898
https://secunia.com/advisories/48964
https://www.osvdb.org/71265
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=681578

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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. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.