#VU19567 Buffer overflow in Linux kernel - CVE-2018-20855

Vulnerability identifier: #VU19567

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [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:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2018-20855

CWE-ID: CWE-119

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 access sensitive information on a targeted system.

The vulnerability exists due to insufficient initialization of the "mlx5_ib_create_qp_resp" function in the "create_qp_common" function in the "drivers/infiniband/hw/mlx5/qp.c" file. A local authenticated attacker can access the system, execute an application that submits malicious input, leak stack memory and access sensitive information on a targeted system.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.18.1 - 4.18.6

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External links
https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.18.7
https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=0625b4ba1a5d4703c7fb01c497bd6c156908af00
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/0625b4ba1a5d4703c7fb01c497bd6c156908af00

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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.