CVE-2009-2849

Description

From CVE.org

The md driver (drivers/md/md.c) in the Linux kernel before 2.6.30.2 might allow local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference) via vectors related to "suspend_* sysfs attributes" and the (1) suspend_lo_store or (2) suspend_hi_store functions. NOTE: this is only a vulnerability when sysfs is writable by an attacker.

Statement

The flaw was introduced in kernel version 2.6.17-rc1. The Linux kernel as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, and 4 are not affected by this issue.

A future kernel update for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 will address this flaw.

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 HatNVDcve.org
Base Score6.24.7N/A
Attack VectorLocalLocalN/A
Access ComplexityHighMediumN/A
AuthenticationNoneNoneN/A
Confidentiality ImpactCompleteNoneN/A
Integrity ImpactCompleteNoneN/A
Availability ImpactCompleteCompleteN/A

Vector

Red Hat: AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

NVD: AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/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

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