#VU99980 Missing release of memory after effective lifetime in Linux kernel - CVE-2002-1571

Vulnerability identifier: #VU99980

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 1.1 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:L/VI:N/VA:N/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2002-1571

CWE-ID: CWE-401

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 gain access to sensitive information.

The linux 2.4 kernel before 2.4.19 assumes that the fninit instruction clears all registers, which could lead to an information leak on processors that do not clear all relevant SSE registers.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's repository.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: All versions

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External links
https://linux.bkbits.net:8080/linux-2.4/diffs/arch/i386/kernel/i387.c@1.6
https://search.luky.org/linux-kernel.2002/msg24003.html
https://search.luky.org/linux-kernel.2002/msg24992.html
https://www.cs.helsinki.fi/linux/linux-kernel/2002-15/0628.html
https://www.cs.helsinki.fi/linux/linux-kernel/2002-15/0760.html

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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.