#VU21716 Double Free in Linux kernel - CVE-2017-18595

Vulnerability identifier: #VU21716

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 5.9 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2017-18595

CWE-ID: CWE-415

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges in the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a boundary error within the allocate_trace_buffer() function in the kernel/trace/trace.c. A local user can run a specially crafted application to trigger a double free error and execute arbitrary code on the target system with elevated privileges.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.14.0 rc1 - 4.14.10

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External links
https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.14.11
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=4397f04575c44e1440ec2e49b6302785c95fd2f8

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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.