CVE-2015-7990
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Description
A denial of service flaw was discovered in the Linux kernel, where a race condition caused a NULL pointer dereference in the RDS socket-creation code. A local attacker could use this flaw to create a situation in which a NULL pointer crashed the kernel.
Statement
This issue affects Red Hat enterprise Linux 5 and 6. The affected code is not available in 7, MRG and realtime kernels.
Additional information
- Bugzilla 1276437: kernel: Race condition when sending message on unbound socket causing NULL pointer dereference
- CWE-476: NULL Pointer Dereference
- FAQ: Frequently asked questions about CVE-2015-7990
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
| Red Hat | NVD | |
|---|---|---|
CVSS v2 Base Score | 6.3 | 5.9 |
Attack Vector | Network | Local |
Access Complexity | Medium | Medium |
Authentication | Single | None |
Confidentiality Impact | None | Partial |
Integrity Impact | None | Partial |
Availability Impact | Complete | Complete |
CVSS v2 Vector
Red Hat: AV:N/AC:M/Au:S/C:N/I:N/A:C
NVD: AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:P/I:P/A:C
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart
NULL pointer dereferences usually result in the failure of the process unless exception handling (on some platforms) is available and implemented. Even when exception handling is being used, it can still be very difficult to return the software to a safe state of operation.
Integrity,Confidentiality
Technical Impact: Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands; Read Memory; Modify Memory
In rare circumstances, when NULL is equivalent to the 0x0 memory address and privileged code can access it, then writing or reading memory is possible, which may lead to code execution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Red Hat's CVSS v3 score or Impact different from other vendors?
My product is listed as "Under investigation" or "Affected", when will Red Hat release a fix for this vulnerability?
What can I do if my product is listed as "Will not fix"?
What can I do if my product is listed as "Fix deferred"?
What is a mitigation?
I have a Red Hat product but it is not in the above list, is it affected?
Why is my security scanner reporting my product as vulnerable to this vulnerability even though my product version is fixed or not affected?
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