#VU17257 Memory leak in Linux kernel - CVE-2018-19854

Vulnerability identifier: #VU17257

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-19854

CWE-ID: CWE-401

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 perform DoS attack on the target system.

The vulnerability exists due to crypto_report_one() and related functions in crypto/crypto_user.c (the crypto user configuration API) do not fully initialize structures that are copied to userspace. A local attacker can trigger memory leak and perform denial of service attack.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.18 - 4.19.2

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=f43f39958beb206b53292801e216d9b8a660f087
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/f43f39958beb206b53292801e216d9b8a660f087
https://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.19.3

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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. However, proof of concept for this vulnerability is available.