#VU53006 Race condition in Linux kernel - CVE-2021-23133

Vulnerability identifier: #VU53006

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-2021-23133

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 escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a race condition in Linux kernel SCTP sockets (net/sctp/socket.c). If sctp_destroy_sock is called without sock_net(sk)->sctp.addr_wq_lock then an element is removed from the auto_asconf_splist list without any proper locking. This can be exploited by a local user with network service privileges to escalate to root or from the context of an unprivileged user directly if a BPF_CGROUP_INET_SOCK_CREATE is attached which denies creation of some SCTP socket.

Mitigation
Install updates from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: before 5.12, 5.12

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=b166a20b07382b8bc1dcee2a448715c9c2c81b5b
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2021/04/18/2
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/PAEQ3H6HKNO6KUCGRZVYSFSAGEUX23JL/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/CUX2CA63453G34C6KYVBLJXJXEARZI2X/
https://lists.fedoraproject.org/archives/list/package-announce@lists.fedoraproject.org/message/XZASHZVCOFJ4VU2I3BN5W5EPHWJQ7QWX/

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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.