#VU1012 Denial of service in Linux kernel and linux_kernel (Debian package) - CVE-2016-7042

Vulnerability identifier: #VU1012

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2016-7042

CWE-ID: CWE-131

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system
linux_kernel (Debian package)
Operating systems & Components / Operating system package or component

Vendor: Linux Foundation
Debian

Description
The vulnerability allows a local user to cause DoS conditions on the target system.
The weakness exists due to using of incorrect buffer size for certain timeout data by the proc_keys_show function in security/keys/proc.c while enabling of GNU Compiler Collection (gcc) stack protector. By reading the /proc/keys file attackers can trigger stack memory corruption.
Successful exploitation of the vulnerability may result in denial of service on the vulnerable system.

Mitigation
Update to version 4.8.2.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 3.2.78-1 - 3.2.81-1, 3.14.72 - 3.16.7-ckt25-2+deb8u3 , 4.0.1 - 4.0.9, 4.1.1 - 4.1.34, 4.2.1 - 4.2.8, 4.3.1 - 4.3.6, 4.4.1 - 4.4.25, 4.5.1 - 4.5.7, 4.6.1 - 4.6.7, 4.7.1 - 4.7.8, 4.8.1

linux_kernel (Debian package): 4.7.2-1

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External links
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1373966

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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.