#VU90369 Out-of-bounds read in Linux kernel - CVE-2020-28974

Vulnerability identifier: #VU90369

Vulnerability risk: Medium

CVSSv4.0: 1.8 [CVSS:4.0/AV:P/AC:L/AT:N/PR:H/UI:N/VC:L/VI:L/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Green]

CVE-ID: CVE-2020-28974

CWE-ID: CWE-125

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

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

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local privileged user to read and manipulate data.

The vulnerability exists due to an out-of-bounds read error within the con_font_default() and con_font_op() functions in drivers/tty/vt/vt.c. A local privileged user can read and manipulate data.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 5.9 rc1 - 5.9.6

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External links
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2020/11/25/1
https://cdn.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v5.x/ChangeLog-5.9.7
https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=3c4e0dff2095c579b142d5a0693257f1c58b4804
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00015.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2020/12/msg00027.html
https://seclists.org/oss-sec/2020/q4/104
https://security.netapp.com/advisory/ntap-20210108-0003/

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. The attacker should have physical access to the system in order to successfully exploit this vulnerability.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.