Linux kernel uncanonical return address denial of service

linux-uncanonical-addr-dos (25869) The risk level is classified as LowLow Risk

Description:

Linux kernel is vulnerable to a denial of service, caused by improper handling of uncanonical return addresses on Intel EM64T CPUs. A local attacker could exploit this vulnerability to cause an exception to be reported in the SYSRET, which would result in the kernel exception handler running on the user stack with the wrong GS, leading to a denial of service condition.

Platforms Affected:

  • Canonical, Ubuntu 5.04
  • Canonical, Ubuntu 5.10
  • Canonical, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
  • Debian, Debian Linux 3.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test10
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test11
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test8
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test9
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test9-cvs
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.0 test5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.1 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.1 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.1 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.10 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.10 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.10 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.10
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.10
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.11
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.12
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.8
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.11.9
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.12.6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.13.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.14.7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15 rc7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.15.7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16.1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.16.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.2 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.2 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.2 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.3 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.3 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.3 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.3 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.4 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.4 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.4 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.5
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.5 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.5 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.5 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.6 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.6
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.6 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.6 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.7
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.7 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.7 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.7 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.8
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.8 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.8 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.8 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.8 rc1
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9 final
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9 rc4
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9 rc3
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9 rc2
  • Linux, Kernel 2.6.9 rc1
  • MandrakeSoft, Mandrake Linux 2006
  • MandrakeSoft, Mandrake Linux 2006 X86_64
  • MandrakeSoft, Mandrake Linux Corporate Server 3.0 X86_64
  • MandrakeSoft, Mandrake Linux Corporate Server 3.0
  • MandrakeSoft, Mandrake Multi Network Firewall 2.0
  • Novell, Linux Desktop 9
  • Novell, Open Enterprise Server
  • Novell, Open Enterprise Server
  • Novell, UnitedLinux 1.0
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 3 WS
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 3 ES
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 3 AS
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 3 Desktop
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 4 AS
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 4 Desktop
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 4 ES
  • RedHat, Enterprise Linux 4 WS
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux 10.0
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux 10.1
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux 9.1
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux 9.2
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux 9.3
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux Desktop 1.0
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0
  • SuSE, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0
  • SuSE, SuSE SLES 9

Remedy:

Upgrade to the latest stable version of Linux kernel (2.6.16.9 or later), available from The Linux Kernel Archives. See References.

For Red Hat Linux 4:
Refer to RHSA-2006:0493-6 for patch, upgrade, or suggested workaround information. See References.

For Red Hat Linux 3:
Refer to RHSA-2006:0437-22 for patch, upgrade, or suggested workaround information. See References.

For Debian GNU/Linux:
Refer to DSA-1103-1 for patch, upgrade, or suggested workaround information. See References.

For SUSE Linux:
Refer to SUSE-SA:2006:028 for patch, upgrade, or suggested workaround information. See References.

For SUSE Linux:
Refer to SUSE-SA:2006:047 for patch, upgrade, or suggested workaround information. See References.

For other distributions:
Contact your vendor for upgrade or patch information.

Consequences:

Denial of Service

References:

  • The Linux Kernel Archives Web site, ChangeLog-2.6.16.5 at http://kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.16.5.
  • The The Linux Kernel Archives Web site, The Linux Kernel Archives at http://www.kernel.org/.
  • ASA-2006-161: kernel security update (RHSA-2006-0493)
  • ASA-2006-180: Updated kernel packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 8 (RHSA-2006-0437)
  • BID-17541: Linux Kernel Intel EM64T SYSRET Local Denial of Service Vulnerability
  • CVE-2006-0744: Linux kernel before 2.6.16.5 does not properly handle uncanonical return addresses on Intel EM64T CPUs, which reports an exception in the SYSRET instead of the next instruction, which causes the kernel exception handler to run on the user stack with the wrong GS.
  • DSA-1103: kernel-source-2.6.8 -- several vulnerabilities
  • MDKSA-2006:086: Updated kernel packages fix multiple vulnerabilities
  • MDKSA-2006:150: Updated kernel packages fix multiple vulnerabilities
  • OSVDB ID: 24639: Linux Kernel on Intel EM64T SYSRET Local DoS
  • RHSA-2006-0437: Updated kernel packages for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 8
  • RHSA-2006-0493: kernel security update
  • SA19639: Linux Kernel Program Control Return Denial of Service
  • SA21745: Avaya Products Linux Kernel Multiple Vulnerabilities
  • SA21983: Avaya Products Linux Kernel Multiple Vulnerabilities
  • SUSE-SA:2006:028: various kernel security problems
  • SUSE-SA:2006:042: kernel local privilege escalation
  • SUSE-SA:2006:047: kernel security problems
  • USN-302-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities
  • VUPEN/ADV-2006-1390: Linux Kernel Uncanonical Return Addresses Local Denial of Service Vulnerability

Reported:

Apr 12, 2006

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