#VU10939 Null pointer dereference in Linux kernel - CVE-2017-18079

Vulnerability identifier: #VU10939

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 6.6 [CVSS:4.0/AV:N/AC:L/AT:N/PR:N/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-18079

CWE-ID: CWE-476

Exploitation vector: Network

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description
The vulnerability allows a remote attacker to cause DoS condition on the target system.

The weakness exists in the drivers/input/serio/i8042.c due to the port->exists value can change after it is validated. A remote attacker can trigger NULL pointer dereference and cause the system to crash.

Mitigation
Update to version 4.12.4.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.12 - 4.12.3

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External links
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/340d394a789518018f834ff70f7534fc463d3226

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

Yes. This vulnerability can be exploited by a remote non-authenticated attacker via the Internet.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

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