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Ubuntu 14.04 LTS / 16.04 LTS : Linux kernel vulnerabilities (USN-3641-1)

high Nessus Plugin ID 109650

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Synopsis

The remote Ubuntu host is missing one or more security updates.

Description

The remote Ubuntu 14.04 LTS / 16.04 LTS host has a package installed that is affected by multiple vulnerabilities as referenced in the USN-3641-1 advisory.

 - The Linux Kernel version 3.18 contains a dangerous feature vulnerability in modify_user_hw_breakpoint() that can result in crash and possibly memory corruption. This attack appear to be exploitable via local code execution and the ability to use ptrace. This vulnerability appears to have been fixed in git commit f67b15037a7a50c57f72e69a6d59941ad90a0f0f. (CVE-2018-1000199)

 - kernel KVM before versions kernel 4.16, kernel 4.16-rc7, kernel 4.17-rc1, kernel 4.17-rc2 and kernel 4.17-rc3 is vulnerable to a flaw in the way the Linux kernel's KVM hypervisor handled exceptions delivered after a stack switch operation via Mov SS or Pop SS instructions. During the stack switch operation, the processor did not deliver interrupts and exceptions, rather they are delivered once the first instruction after the stack switch is executed. An unprivileged KVM guest user could use this flaw to crash the guest or, potentially, escalate their privileges in the guest. (CVE-2018-1087)

 - A statement in the System Programming Guide of the Intel 64 and IA-32 Architectures Software Developer's Manual (SDM) was mishandled in the development of some or all operating-system kernels, resulting in unexpected behavior for #DB exceptions that are deferred by MOV SS or POP SS, as demonstrated by (for example) privilege escalation in Windows, macOS, some Xen configurations, or FreeBSD, or a Linux kernel crash. The MOV to SS and POP SS instructions inhibit interrupts (including NMIs), data breakpoints, and single step trap exceptions until the instruction boundary following the next instruction (SDM Vol. 3A;
 section 6.8.3). (The inhibited data breakpoints are those on memory accessed by the MOV to SS or POP to SS instruction itself.) Note that debug exceptions are not inhibited by the interrupt enable (EFLAGS.IF) system flag (SDM Vol. 3A; section 2.3). If the instruction following the MOV to SS or POP to SS instruction is an instruction like SYSCALL, SYSENTER, INT 3, etc. that transfers control to the operating system at CPL < 3, the debug exception is delivered after the transfer to CPL < 3 is complete. OS kernels may not expect this order of events and may therefore experience unexpected behavior when it occurs.
 (CVE-2018-8897)

Note that Nessus has not tested for these issues but has instead relied only on the application's self-reported version number.

Solution

Update the affected kernel package.

See Also

https://ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-3641-1

Plugin Details

Severity: High

ID: 109650

File Name: ubuntu_USN-3641-1.nasl

Version: 1.15

Type: local

Agent: unix

Published: 5/9/2018

Updated: 1/9/2024

Supported Sensors: Agentless Assessment, Frictionless Assessment Agent, Frictionless Assessment AWS, Frictionless Assessment Azure, Nessus Agent, Nessus

Risk Information

VPR

Risk Factor: Critical

Score: 9.6

CVSS v2

Risk Factor: High

Base Score: 7.2

Temporal Score: 6.3

Vector: CVSS2#AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

CVSS Score Source: CVE-2018-8897

CVSS v3

Risk Factor: High

Base Score: 7.8

Temporal Score: 7.5

Vector: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Temporal Vector: CVSS:3.0/E:H/RL:O/RC:C

Vulnerability Information

CPE: p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-generic, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-generic-lpae, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-lowlatency, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-powerpc-e500, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-powerpc-e500mc, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-powerpc-smp, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-powerpc64-emb, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-3.13.0-147-powerpc64-smp, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-1015-gcp, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-1016-azure, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-1026-oem, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-41-generic, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-41-generic-lpae, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.13.0-41-lowlatency, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-1019-aws, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-1023-kvm, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-1057-aws, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-1089-raspi2, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-1092-snapdragon, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-generic, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-generic-lpae, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-lowlatency, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-powerpc-e500mc, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-powerpc-smp, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-powerpc64-emb, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-124-powerpc64-smp, p-cpe:/a:canonical:ubuntu_linux:linux-image-4.4.0-9027-euclid, cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:14.04:-:lts, cpe:/o:canonical:ubuntu_linux:16.04:-:lts

Required KB Items: Host/cpu, Host/Ubuntu, Host/Ubuntu/release, Host/Debian/dpkg-l

Exploit Available: true

Exploit Ease: Exploits are available

Patch Publication Date: 5/8/2018

Vulnerability Publication Date: 5/8/2018

Exploitable With

Metasploit (Microsoft Windows POP/MOV SS Local Privilege Elevation Vulnerability)

Reference Information

CVE: CVE-2018-1000199, CVE-2018-1087, CVE-2018-8897

USN: 3641-1