Vulnerability identifier: #VU63054

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 5.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-9705

CWE-ID: CWE-770

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
cron (Debian package)
Operating systems & Components / Operating system package or component

Vendor: Debian

Description

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

The vulnerability exists due to Vixie Cron implementation allows unlimited number of lines to be inserted into the crontab file. A local user can create a very large crontab file and consume all available memory on the system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

cron (Debian package): 3.0pl1-100 - 3.0pl1-132

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External links
http://salsa.debian.org/debian/cron/commit/26814a26
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/107378
http://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/6DU7HAUAQR4E4AEBPYLUV6FZ4PHKH6A2/
http://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2019/03/msg00025.html
http://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2021/10/msg00029.html

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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.