NULL pointer dereference in Linux kernel

1) NULL pointer dereference

EUVDB-ID: #VU19141

Risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 2.7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:A/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L/E:U/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-12818

CWE-ID: CWE-476 - NULL Pointer Dereference

Exploit availability: No

Description

The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to a NULL pointer dreference error in the Linux kernel before 4.20.15 when processing NFC data. The error is triggered by the  nfc_llcp_build_tlv function in net/nfc/llcp_commands.c that may return NULL. Such behavior can lead to a NULL pointer dereference in the nfc_llcp_build_gb() function in net/nfc/llcp_core.c. A remote attacker can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation

Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.20.1 - 4.20.14

CPE2.3

• cpe:2.3:o:linux_foundation:linux_kernel:4.20.14:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

External links

http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=58bdd544e2933a21a51eecf17c3f5f94038261b5
http://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/58bdd544e2933a21a51eecf17c3f5f94038261b5
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.20.15

Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the local network (LAN).

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.