#VU27480 Race condition in Linux kernel - CVE-2020-12114

Vulnerability identifier: #VU27480

Vulnerability risk: Low

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:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-12114

CWE-ID: CWE-362

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 perform a denial of service attack.

The vulnerability exists due to a race condition between threads updating mountpoint reference counter. A local user can exploit the race and crash the system.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 4.4 - 4.4.220, 4.9 - 4.9.220, 4.14 - 4.19.118

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External links
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.9.221
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.19.119
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.4.221
https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.14.178
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2020/q2/86

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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.