NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel char driver

1) NULL pointer dereference

EUVDB-ID: #VU91016

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2009-3043

CWE-ID: CWE-476 - NULL Pointer Dereference

Exploit availability: Yes

Description

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

The vulnerability exists due to NULL pointer dereference within the tty_ldisc_restore() and tty_ldisc_hangup() functions in drivers/char/tty_ldisc.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: All versions

CPE2.3

External links

http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=5c58ceff103d8a654f24769bb1baaf84a841b0cc
http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/8/20/21
http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/8/20/27
http://lkml.org/lkml/2009/8/20/68
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ChangeLog-2.6.31-rc8
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/08/31/1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/03/6
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/03/7
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36191

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