Vulnerability identifier: #VU44029

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 5 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2011-2918

CWE-ID: CWE-400

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: Yes

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local authenticated user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The Performance Events subsystem in the Linux kernel before 3.1 does not properly handle event overflows associated with PERF_COUNT_SW_CPU_CLOCK events, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang) via a crafted application.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 3.0 - 3.0.101

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External links
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commit;h=a8b0ca17b80e92faab46ee7179ba9e99ccb61233
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.1
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/08/16/1
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=730706
http://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/a8b0ca17b80e92faab46ee7179ba9e99ccb61233

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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.