#VU92529 Information exposure in Linux kernel - CVE-2012-6538

Vulnerability identifier: #VU92529

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2012-6538

CWE-ID: CWE-200

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to information exposure error within the copy_to_user_auth() function in net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c. A local user can gain access to sensitive information.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's repository.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: All versions

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=4c87308bdea31a7b4828a51f6156e6f721a1fcc9
https://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2013-0744.html
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2013/03/05/13
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/4c87308bdea31a7b4828a51f6156e6f721a1fcc9
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/patch-3.6.bz2

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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.