#VU26406 Resource management error in Linux kernel - CVE-2019-19338

Vulnerability identifier: #VU26406

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.7 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:P/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2019-19338

CWE-ID: CWE-399

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 gain access to sensitive information.

The vulnerability exists due to incomplete fix for Transaction Asynchronous Abort (TAA) issue on certain Intel CPUs (CVE-2019-11135). A local user on a guest operating system can exploit this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.4.202 - 4.4.206, 4.9.202 - 4.9.206, 4.14.154 - 4.19.88, 5.3.11 - 5.3.15, 5.4 - 5.4.2

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2019/12/10/3
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=cbbaa2727aa3ae9e0a844803da7cef7fd3b94f2b
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=c11f83e0626bdc2b6c550fc8b9b6eeefbd8cefaa
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=b07a5c53d42a8c87b208614129e947dd2338ff9c

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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.