#VU14200 Resource exhaustion in Linux kernel - CVE-2018-5390

Vulnerability identifier: #VU14200

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-2018-5390

CWE-ID: CWE-400

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 vulnerability exists due to the system uses an inefficient TCP reassembly algorithm. A remote attacker can send specially crafted packets within ongoing TCP sessions to consume excessive CPU resources and cause the service to crash.

Note: The issue has been called "SegmentSmack".

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.4.90 - 4.4.99, 4.9 - 4.9.118, 4.10.0 - 4.17.13

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/davem/net.git/commit/?id=1a4f14bab1868b443f0dd3c55b689a478f82e72e
https://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/962459

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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.