CVE-2018-14634
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Description
An integer overflow flaw was found in the Linux kernel's create_elf_tables() function. An unprivileged local user with access to SUID (or otherwise privileged) binary could use this flaw to escalate their privileges on the system.
Statement
This issue does not affect 32-bit systems as they do not have a large enough address space to exploit this flaw.
Systems with less than 32GB of memory are very unlikely to be affected by this issue due to memory demands during exploitation.
This issue does not affect the versions of Linux kernel as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
This issue affects the version of the kernel packages as shipped with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7 and Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2. Future kernel updates for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, 7 and Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2 will address this issue.
Mitigation
To mitigate the issue:
Enable and install kernel-debuginfo packages as per https://access.redhat.com/solutions/666123
1) On the host, save the following in a file with the ".stp" extension:
// CVE-2018-14634
//
// Theory of operations: adjust the thread's # rlimit-in-effect around
// calls to the vulnerable get_arg_page() function so as to encompass
// the newly required _STK_LIM / 4 * 3 maximum.
// Complication: the rlimit is stored in a current-> structure that
// is shared across the threads of the process. They may concurrently
// invoke this operation.
function clamp_stack_rlim_cur:long ()
%{
struct rlimit *rlim = current->signal->rlim;
unsigned long rlim_cur = READ_ONCE(rlim[RLIMIT_STACK].rlim_cur);
unsigned long limit = _STK_LIM / 4 * 3;
limit *= 4; // multiply it back up, to the scale used by rlim_cur
if (rlim_cur > limit) {
WRITE_ONCE(rlim[RLIMIT_STACK].rlim_cur, limit);
STAP_RETURN(limit);
} else
STAP_RETURN(0);
%}
probe kernel.function("copy_strings").call
{
l = clamp_stack_rlim_cur()
if (l)
printf("lowered process %s(%d) STACK rlim_cur to %p\n",
execname(), pid(), l)
}
probe begin {
printf("CVE-2018-14634 mitigation loaded\n")
}
probe end {
printf("CVE-2018-14634 mitigation unloaded\n")
}
2) Install the "systemtap" package and any required dependencies. Refer
to the "2. Using SystemTap" chapter in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux
"SystemTap Beginners Guide" document, available from docs.redhat.com,
for information on installing the required -debuginfo and matching kernel-devel packages
3) Run the "stap -g [filename-from-step-1].stp" command as root.
If the host is rebooted, the changes will be lost and the script must be
run again.
Alternatively, build the systemtap script on a development system with
"stap -g -p 4 [filename-from-step-1].stp", distribute the resulting
kernel module to all affected systems, and run "staprun -L <module>" on those.
When using this approach only systemtap-runtime package is required on
the affected systems. Please notice that the kernel version must be the same
across all systems.
This may not be a suitable workaround if your application uses massive amounts of stack space. Please consider this if there are any adverse affects when running this mitigation.
Additional Information
- This content is not included.Bugzilla 1624498: kernel: Integer overflow in Linux's create_elf_tables function
- Content from cwe.mitre.org is not included.CWE-190: Integer Overflow or Wraparound
- FAQ: Frequently asked questions about CVE-2018-14634
- Offline Security Data data is available for integration with other systems. See Offline Security Data API to get started.
External References
Content from www.cve.org is not included.https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2018-14634
Content from nvd.nist.gov is not included.https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2018-14634
This content is not included.https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/mutagen-astronomy
Affected Packages and Issued Red Hat Security Errata
| Products / Services | Components | State | Errata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 | kernel | Not affected | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2846 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4 Advanced Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3643 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5 Advanced Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2933 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.6 Advanced Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2924 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.6 Telco Extended Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2924 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.7 Extended Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2925 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2748 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel-rt | Fixed | RHSA-2018:2763 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | kernel-alt | Not affected | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2 Advanced Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3590 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2 Telco Extended Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3590 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2 Update Services for SAP Solutions | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3590 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.3 Extended Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3591 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.4 Extended Update Support | kernel | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3540 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | kernel | Not affected | |
| Red Hat Enterprise MRG 2 | kernel-rt | Fixed | RHSA-2018:3586 |
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 Authorities (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications ).
| CVSS v3 Score Breakdown | Red Hat | NVD |
|---|---|---|
| CVSS v3 Base Score | 7.8 | 7.8 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low |
| User Interaction | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality Impact | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High |
CVSS v3 Vector
Red Hat CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD CVSS:3.0/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Acknowledgements
Red Hat would like to thank Qualys Research Labs for reporting this issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Red Hat's CVSS v3 score or Impact different from other vendors?
For more information, see https://access.redhat.com/solutions/762393.
My product is listed as "Under investigation" or "Affected", when will Red Hat release a fix for this vulnerability?
- "Under investigation" doesn't necessarily mean that the product is affected by this vulnerability. It only means that our Analysis Team is still working on determining whether the product is affected and how it is affected.
- "Affected" means that our Analysis Team has determined that this product is affected by this vulnerability and might release a fix to address this in the near future.
What can I do if my product is listed as "Will not fix"?
Available options depend mostly on the Impact of the vulnerability and the current Life Cycle phase of your product. Overall, you have the following options:
- Upgrade to a supported product version that includes a fix for this vulnerability (recommended).
- Apply a mitigation (if one exists).
- Open a This content is not included.support case to request a prioritization of releasing a fix for this vulnerability.
What can I do if my product is listed as "Fix deferred"?
Available options depend mostly on the Impact of the vulnerability and the current Life Cycle phase of your product. Overall, you have the following options:
- Apply a mitigation (if one exists).
- Open a This content is not included.support case to request a prioritization of releasing a fix for this vulnerability.
- Red Hat Engineering focuses on addressing high-priority issues based on their complexity or limited lifecycle support. Therefore, lower-priority issues will not receive immediate fixes.
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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