Vulnerability identifier: #VU91078

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv3.1: 7 [CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H/E:P/RL:O/RC:C]

CVE-ID: CVE-2009-4141

CWE-ID: CWE-416

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: Yes

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

Vendor:

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to escalate privileges on the system.

The vulnerability exists due to a use-after-free error within the fasync_helper() function in fs/fcntl.c. A local user can execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

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External links
http://lock.cmpxchg8b.com/5ebe2294ecd0e0f08eab7690d2a6ee69/create_elf_tables.c
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/37806
http://twitter.com/taviso/statuses/7744108017
http://secunia.com/advisories/38199
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/snapshots/patch-2.6.33-rc4-git1.bz2
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/fulldisclosure/2010-01/0252.html
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=547906
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2010-0046.html
http://rhn.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2010-0095.html
http://support.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100073666
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-security-announce/2010-02/msg00002.html
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2010-0161.html
http://secunia.com/advisories/39033
http://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A9201
http://oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A7054
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=53281b6d34d44308372d16acb7fb5327609f68b6

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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.