CVE-2019-16413

Description

A flaw was found in the implementation of the 9p filesystem in the Linux kernel. The 9p filesystem does not protect i_size_write() properly, which causes an i_size_read() infinite loop. An attacker, able to mount a specially crafted filesystem, could cause a denial of service on SMP systems.

Mitigation

As the 9p module will be auto-loaded when required, its use can be disabled by preventing the module from loading with the following instructions:

# echo "install 9p /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-9p.conf

The system will need to be restarted if the 9p modules are loaded. In most circumstances, the 9p kernel modules will be unable to be unloaded while the filesystems are 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 Score6.27.5N/A
Attack VectorLocalNetworkN/A
Attack ComplexityLowLowN/A
Privileges RequiredNoneNoneN/A
User InteractionNoneNoneN/A
ScopeUnchangedUnchangedN/A
ConfidentialityNoneNoneN/A
Integrity ImpactNoneNoneN/A
Availability ImpactHighHighN/A

Vector

Red Hat: CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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

Understanding the Weakness (CWE)

Availability

Technical Impact: DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory); DoS: Amplification

An infinite loop will cause unexpected consumption of resources, such as CPU cycles or memory. The software's operation may slow down, or cause a long time to respond.

Frequently Asked Questions

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