USN-6254-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

26 July 2023

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

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Releases

Packages

  • linux - Linux kernel
  • linux-aws - Linux kernel for Amazon Web Services (AWS) systems
  • linux-kvm - Linux kernel for cloud environments
  • linux-lts-xenial - Linux hardware enablement kernel from Xenial for Trusty

Details

Jordy Zomer and Alexandra Sandulescu discovered that syscalls invoking the
do_prlimit() function in the Linux kernel did not properly handle
speculative execution barriers. A local attacker could use this to expose
sensitive information (kernel memory). (CVE-2023-0458)

It was discovered that a race condition existed in the btrfs file system
implementation in the Linux kernel, leading to a use-after-free
vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service
(system crash) or possibly expose sensitive information. (CVE-2023-1611)

It was discovered that the XFS file system implementation in the Linux
kernel did not properly perform metadata validation when mounting certain
images. An attacker could use this to specially craft a file system image
that, when mounted, could cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2023-2124)

It was discovered that a use-after-free vulnerability existed in the iSCSI
TCP implementation in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could possibly use
this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2023-2162)

It was discovered that the ext4 file system implementation in the Linux
kernel did not properly handle extra inode size for extended attributes,
leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. A privileged attacker could
possibly use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly
execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-2513)

It was discovered that the IP-VLAN network driver for the Linux kernel did
not properly initialize memory in some situations, leading to an out-of-
bounds write vulnerability. An attacker could use this to cause a denial of
service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-3090)

It was discovered that the Ricoh R5C592 MemoryStick card reader driver in
the Linux kernel contained a race condition during module unload, leading
to a use-after-free vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause
a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code.
(CVE-2023-3141)

It was discovered that a use-after-free vulnerability existed in the IEEE
1394 (Firewire) implementation in the Linux kernel. A privileged attacker
could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly
execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-3159)

Sanan Hasanov discovered that the framebuffer console driver in the Linux
kernel did not properly perform checks for font dimension limits. A local
attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2023-3161)

It was discovered that the kernel->user space relay implementation in the
Linux kernel did not properly perform certain buffer calculations, leading
to an out-of-bounds read vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to
cause a denial of service (system crash) or expose sensitive information
(kernel memory). (CVE-2023-3268)

It was discovered that the netfilter subsystem in the Linux kernel did not
properly handle some error conditions, leading to a use-after-free
vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service
(system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-3390)

Tanguy Dubroca discovered that the netfilter subsystem in the Linux kernel
did not properly handle certain pointer data type, leading to an out-of-
bounds write vulnerability. A privileged attacker could use this to cause a
denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code.
(CVE-2023-35001)

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Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.

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Update instructions

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu 16.04
Ubuntu 14.04

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make
all the necessary changes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have
been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and
reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed.
Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages
(e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual,
linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform
this as well.