CVE-2016-2117
Description
It was discovered that the atl2_probe() function in the Atheros L2 Ethernet driver in the Linux kernel incorrectly enabled scatter/gather I/O. A remote attacker could use this flaw to obtain potentially sensitive information from the kernel memory.
Statement
This issue does not affect the Linux kernel packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 as the code with the flaw is not present in the products listed.
This issue does not affect the Linux kernel packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 as the suspected driver does not advertise that it has scatter-gather feature, which presence is essential for the flaw.
This issue affects the Linux kernel packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 and MRG-2, namely the [atl2] Ethernet driver which is the only driver affected. Future Linux kernel updates for the respective releases might address this issue.
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).
CVSS v2 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 2.6 | 5 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Network | Network | N/A |
| Access Complexity | High | Low | N/A |
| Authentication | None | None | N/A |
| Confidentiality Impact | Partial | Partial | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | N/A |
| Availability Impact | None | None | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: AV:N/AC:H/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
NVD: AV:N/AC:L/Au:N/C:P/I:N/A:N
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
Buffer overflows often can be used to execute arbitrary code, which is usually outside the scope of the product's implicit security policy. This can often be used to subvert any other security service.
Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU)
Buffer overflows generally lead to crashes. Other attacks leading to lack of availability are possible, including putting the product into an infinite loop.
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Justin Yackoski (Cryptonite) for reporting this issue.
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