#VU16896 Information disclosure in Linux kernel - CVE-2019-5489

Vulnerability identifier: #VU16896

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.4 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-5489

CWE-ID: CWE-200

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local attacker to gain access to potentially sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to a flaw in the mincore() implementation in mm/mincore.c. A local attacker can observe page cache access patterns of other processes on the same system and sniff secret information.

Mitigation
Cybersecurity Help is currently unaware of any official solution to address the vulnerability.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.19.1 - 4.19.13

---

External links
https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=574823bfab82d9d8fa47f422778043fbb4b4f50e
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/574823bfab82d9d8fa47f422778043fbb4b4f50e
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/01/05/boffins_beat_page_cache/

---

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.