CVE-2011-0699

Description

A flaw was found in the BTRFS implementation in the Linux kernel, where a local user with elevated permissions (either root user or in the disk group) can issue an ioctl to the /dev/btrfs-control device node. This flaw panics the system and allows memory allocation if a specially crafted ioctl is made that abuses the logic when comparing values with different types.

Statement

Not vulnerable. This issue did not affect the versions of Linux kernel as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, 5, 6, or Red Hat Enterprise MRG as they did not backport the upstream commit bf5fc093c that introduced this issue.

Mitigation

As the BTRFS module will be auto-loaded when required, its use can be disabled by preventing the module from loading with the following instructions:

# echo "install btrfs /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-btrfs.conf

The system will need to be restarted if the BTRFS modules are loaded, it may be possible to unload them. In most circumstances, the BTRFS kernel modules will be unable to be unloaded while any BTRFS filesystems are mounted or in use.

If the system requires this module to work correctly, this mitigation may not be suitable.

If you need further assistance, see KCS article https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278 or contact Red Hat Global Support Services.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details

Info alert: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.

CVSS v3 Score Breakdown

Red HatNVDcve.org
Base Score4.17N/A
Attack VectorLocalLocalN/A
Attack ComplexityHighHighN/A
Privileges RequiredHighLowN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeUnchangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityNoneHighN/A
Integrity ImpactNoneHighN/A
Availability ImpactHighHighN/A

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Integrity

Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands

Write operations could cause memory corruption. In some cases, an adversary can modify control data such as return addresses in order to execute unexpected code.

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart

Attempting to access out-of-range, invalid, or unauthorized memory could cause the product to crash.

Other

Technical Impact: Unexpected State

Subsequent write operations can produce undefined or unexpected results.

Frequently Asked Questions

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