Linux kernel 2.4.x and 2.6.x for x86 allows local users to cause a denial of service (system crash), possibly via an infinite loop that triggers a signal handler with a certain sequence of fsave and frstor instructions, as originally demonstrated using a "crash.c" program.

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                Debian 3.1 (sarge)              Source                        2.4.17-1woody4                  HP Precision architecture     32.5                            Intel IA-64 architecture      011226.18                       IBM S/390 architecture/image  2.4.17-2.woody.5                IBM S/390 architecture/patch  0.0.20020816-0.woody.4          PowerPC architecture (apus)   2.4.17-6                        MIPS architecture             2.4.17-0.020226.2.woody7

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                   Debian 3.0 (woody)                 Source                           2.4.19-4                           Sun Sparc architecture           26woody1                           Little endian MIPS architecture  0.020911.1.woody5

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                                   Debian 3.0 (woody)                 Source                           2.4.18-14.4                        Alpha architecture               2.4.18-15woody1                    Intel IA-32 architecture         2.4.18-13.2                        HP Precision architecture        62.4                               PowerPC architecture             2.4.18-1woody6                     PowerPC architecture/XFS         20020329woody1                     PowerPC architecture/benh        20020304woody1                     Sun Sparc architecture           22woody1

Several local and remote vulnerabilities have been discovered in the Linux kernel that may lead to a denial of service or the execution of arbitrary code. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project identifies the following problems :

  - CVE-2004-0427     A local denial of service vulnerability in do_fork() has     been found.

  - CVE-2005-0489     A local denial of service vulnerability in proc memory     handling has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0394     A buffer overflow in the panic handling code has been     found.

  - CVE-2004-0447     A local denial of service vulnerability through a NULL     pointer dereference in the IA64 process handling code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0554     A local denial of service vulnerability through an     infinite loop in the signal handler code has been found.

  - CVE-2004-0565     An information leak in the context switch code has been     found on the IA64 architecture.

  - CVE-2004-0685     Unsafe use of copy_to_user in USB drivers may disclose     sensitive information.

  - CVE-2005-0001     A race condition in the i386 page fault handler may     allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-0883     Multiple vulnerabilities in the SMB filesystem code may     allow denial of service or information disclosure.

  - CVE-2004-0949     An information leak discovered in the SMB filesystem     code.

  - CVE-2004-1016     A local denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the SCM layer.

  - CVE-2004-1333     An integer overflow in the terminal code may allow a     local denial of service vulnerability.

  - CVE-2004-0997     A local privilege escalation in the MIPS assembly code     has been found.

  - CVE-2004-1335     A memory leak in the ip_options_get() function may lead     to denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1017     Multiple overflows exist in the io_edgeport driver which     might be usable as a denial of service attack vector.

  - CVE-2005-0124     Bryan Fulton reported a bounds checking bug in the     coda_pioctl function which may allow local users to     execute arbitrary code or trigger a denial of service     attack.

  - CVE-2003-0984     Inproper initialization of the RTC may disclose     information.

  - CVE-2004-1070     Insufficient input sanitising in the load_elf_binary()     function may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1071     Incorrect error handling in the binfmt_elf loader may     lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1072     A buffer overflow in the binfmt_elf loader may lead to     privilege escalation or denial of service.

  - CVE-2004-1073     The open_exec function may disclose information.

  - CVE-2004-1074     The binfmt code is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed a.out binaries.

  - CVE-2004-0138     A denial of service vulnerability in the ELF loader has     been found.

  - CVE-2004-1068     A programming error in the unix_dgram_recvmsg() function     may lead to privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2004-1234     The ELF loader is vulnerable to denial of service     through malformed binaries.

  - CVE-2005-0003     Crafted ELF binaries may lead to privilege escalation,     due to insufficient checking of overlapping memory     regions.

  - CVE-2004-1235     A race condition in the load_elf_library() and     binfmt_aout() functions may allow privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0504     An integer overflow in the Moxa driver may lead to     privilege escalation.

  - CVE-2005-0384     A remote denial of service vulnerability has been found     in the PPP driver.

  - CVE-2005-0135     An IA64 specific local denial of service vulnerability     has been found in the unw_unwind_to_user() function.

The following matrix explains which kernel version for which architecture fixes the problems mentioned above :

                               Debian 3.0 (woody)             Source                       2.4.16-1woody2                 arm/lart                     20040419woody1                 arm/netwinder                20040419woody1                 arm/riscpc                   20040419woody1

New kernel packages are available for Slackware 8.1, 9.0, 9.1, and
-current to fix a denial of service security issue. Without a patch to asm-i386/i387.h, a local user can crash the machine.

The remote host is affected by the vulnerability described in GLSA-200407-02 (Linux Kernel: Multiple vulnerabilities)

    Multiple flaws have been discovered in the Linux kernel. This advisory     corrects the following issues:
    CAN-2004-0109: This vulnerability allows privilege escalation using     ISO9660 file systems through a buffer overflow via a malformed file     system containing a long symbolic link entry. This can allow arbitrary     code execution at kernel level.
    CAN-2004-0133: The XFS file system in 2.4 series kernels has an     information leak by which data in the memory can be written to the     device hosting the file system, allowing users to obtain portions of     kernel memory by reading the raw block device.
    CAN-2004-0177: The ext3 file system in 2.4 series kernels does not     properly initialize journal descriptor blocks, causing an information     leak by which data in the memory can be written to the device hosting     the file system, allowing users to obtain portions of kernel memory by     reading the raw device.
    CAN-2004-0181: The JFS file system in 2.4 series kernels has an     information leak by which data in the memory can be written to the     device hosting the file system, allowing users to obtain portions of     kernel memory by reading the raw device.
    CAN-2004-0178: The OSS Sound Blaster [R] Driver has a Denial of Service     vulnerability since it does not handle certain sample sizes properly.
    This allows local users to hang the kernel.
    CAN-2004-0228: Due to an integer signedness error in the CPUFreq /proc     handler code in 2.6 series Linux kernels, local users can escalate     their privileges.
    CAN-2004-0229: The framebuffer driver in 2.6 series kernel drivers does     not use the fb_copy_cmap method of copying structures. The impact of     this issue is unknown, however.
    CAN-2004-0394: A buffer overflow in the panic() function of 2.4 series     Linux kernels exists, but it may not be exploitable under normal     circumstances due to its functionality.
    CAN-2004-0427: The do_fork() function in both 2.4 and 2.6 series Linux     kernels does not properly decrement the mm_count counter when an error     occurs, triggering a memory leak that allows local users to cause a     Denial of Service by exhausting other applications of memory; causing     the kernel to panic or to kill services.
    CAN-2004-0495: Multiple vulnerabilities found by the Sparse source     checker in the kernel allow local users to escalate their privileges or     gain access to kernel memory.
    CAN-2004-0535: The e1000 NIC driver does not properly initialize memory     structures before using them, allowing users to read kernel memory.
    CAN-2004-0554: 2.4 and 2.6 series kernels running on an x86 or an AMD64     architecture allow local users to cause a Denial of Service by a total     system hang, due to an infinite loop that triggers a signal handler     with a certain sequence of fsave and frstor instructions.
    Local DoS in PaX: If ASLR is enabled as a GRSecurity PaX feature, a     Denial of Service can be achieved by putting the kernel into an     infinite loop. Only 2.6 series GRSecurity kernels are affected by this     issue.
    RSBAC 1.2.3 JAIL issues: A flaw in the RSBAC JAIL implementation allows     suid/sgid files to be created inside the jail since the relevant module     does not check the corresponding mode values. This can allow privilege     escalation inside the jail. Only rsbac-(dev-)sources are affected by     this issue.
  Impact :

    Arbitrary code with normal non-super-user privileges may be able to     exploit any of these vulnerabilities; gaining kernel level access to     memory structures and hardware devices. This may be used for further     exploitation of the system, to leak sensitive data or to cause a Denial     of Service on the affected kernel.
  Workaround :

    Although users may not be affected by certain vulnerabilities, all     kernels are affected by the CAN-2004-0394, CAN-2004-0427 and     CAN-2004-0554 issues which have no workaround. As a result, all users     are urged to upgrade their kernels to patched versions.

A vulnerability in the e1000 driver for the Linux kernel 2.4.26 and earlier was discovered by Chris Wright. The e1000 driver does not properly reset memory or restrict the maximum length of a data structure, which can allow a local user to read portions of kernel memory (CVE-2004-0535).

A vulnerability was also discovered in the kernel were a certain C program would trigger a floating point exception that would crash the kernel. This vulnerability can only be triggered locally by users with shell access (CVE-2004-0554).

The remote host is missing the patch for the advisory SuSE-SA:2004:017 (kernel).


The Linux kernel is vulnerable to a local denial-of-service attack.
By using a C program it is possible to trigger a floating point exception that puts the kernel into an unusable state.
To execute this attack a malicious user needs shell access to the victim's machine.
The severity of this bug is considered low because local denial-of- service attacks are hard to prevent in general.
Additionally the bug is limited to x86 and x86_64 architecture.

Numerous problems referencing userspace memory were identified in several device drivers by Al Viro using the sparse tool. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) assigned the name CVE-2004-0495 to this issue.

A problem was found where userspace code could execute certain floating point instructions from signal handlers which would cause the kernel to lock up. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) assigned the name CVE-2004-0554 to this issue.

Previous kernels contained a patch against the framebuffer ioctl code which turned out to be unnecessary. This has been dropped in this update.

A memory leak in the E1000 network card driver has been fixed. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) assigned the name CVE-2004-0535 to this issue.

Previously, inappropriate permissions were set on /proc/scsi/qla2300/HbaApiNode The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) assigned the name CVE-2004-0587 to this issue.

Support for systems with more than 4GB of memory was previously unavailable. The 686 SMP kernel now supports this configuration.
(Bugzilla #122960) Support for SMP on 586's was also previously not included. This has also been rectified. (Bugzilla #111871)

Note that Tenable Network Security has extracted the preceding description block directly from the Fedora security advisory. Tenable has attempted to automatically clean and format it as much as possible without introducing additional issues.

Updated kernel packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 that fix security vulnerabilities are now available.

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system.

A flaw was found in Linux kernel versions 2.4 and 2.6 for x86 and x86_64 that allowed local users to cause a denial of service (system crash) by triggering a signal handler with a certain sequence of fsave and frstor instructions. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-0554 to this issue.

Enhancements were committed to the 2.6 kernel by Al Viro which enabled the Sparse source code checking tool to check for a certain class of kernel bugs. A subset of these fixes also applies to various drivers in the 2.4 kernel. These flaws could lead to privilege escalation or access to kernel memory. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-0495 to these issues.

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum. These packages contain backported patches to correct these issues.

Updated kernel packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 that fix security vulnerabilities are now available.

The Linux kernel handles the basic functions of the operating system.

A flaw was found in Linux kernel versions 2.4 and 2.6 for x86 and x86_64 that allowed local users to cause a denial of service (system crash) by triggering a signal handler with a certain sequence of fsave and frstor instructions. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-0554 to this issue.

Another flaw was discovered in an error path supporting the clone() system call that allowed local users to cause a denial of service (memory leak) by passing invalid arguments to clone() running in an infinite loop of a user's program. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-0427 to this issue.

Enhancements were committed to the 2.6 kernel by Al Viro which enabled the Sparse source code checking tool to check for a certain class of kernel bugs. A subset of these fixes also applies to various drivers in the 2.4 kernel. Although the majority of these resides in drivers unsupported in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, the flaws could lead to privilege escalation or access to kernel memory. The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project (cve.mitre.org) has assigned the name CVE-2004-0495 to these issues.

All Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 users are advised to upgrade their kernels to the packages associated with their machine architectures and configurations as listed in this erratum. These packages contain backported patches to correct these issues.

ID	Name	Product	Family	Severity
22624	Debian DSA-1082-1 : kernel-source-2.4.17 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22612	Debian DSA-1070-1 : kernel-source-2.4.19 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22611	Debian DSA-1069-1 : kernel-source-2.4.18 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
22609	Debian DSA-1067-1 : kernel-source-2.4.16 - several vulnerabilities	Nessus	Debian Local Security Checks	critical
18791	Slackware 8.1 / 9.0 / 9.1 / current : kernel DoS (SSA:2004-167-01)	Nessus	Slackware Local Security Checks	low
14535	GLSA-200407-02 : Linux Kernel: Multiple vulnerabilities	Nessus	Gentoo Local Security Checks	high
14161	Mandrake Linux Security Advisory : kernel (MDKSA-2004:062)	Nessus	Mandriva Local Security Checks	low
13833	SuSE-SA:2004:017: kernel	Nessus	SuSE Local Security Checks	low
13731	Fedora Core 1 : kernel-2.4.22-1.2194.nptl (2004-186)	Nessus	Fedora Local Security Checks	high
12509	RHEL 2.1 : kernel (RHSA-2004:260)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	high
12508	RHEL 3 : kernel (RHSA-2004:255)	Nessus	Red Hat Local Security Checks	high

Detections

Analytics

CVE-2004-0554

medium

Tenable Plugins

critical

critical

critical

critical

low

high

low

low

high

high

high