USN-6740-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

19 April 2024

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

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Releases

Packages

  • linux - Linux kernel
  • linux-aws - Linux kernel for Amazon Web Services (AWS) systems
  • linux-aws-hwe - Linux kernel for Amazon Web Services (AWS-HWE) systems
  • linux-azure - Linux kernel for Microsoft Azure Cloud systems
  • linux-azure-4.15 - Linux kernel for Microsoft Azure Cloud systems
  • linux-gcp - Linux kernel for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) systems
  • linux-gcp-4.15 - Linux kernel for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) systems
  • linux-hwe - Linux hardware enablement (HWE) kernel
  • linux-kvm - Linux kernel for cloud environments
  • linux-oracle - Linux kernel for Oracle Cloud systems

Details

Wei Chen discovered that a race condition existed in the TIPC protocol
implementation in the Linux kernel, leading to a null pointer dereference
vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service
(system crash). (CVE-2023-1382)

It was discovered that the virtio network implementation in the Linux
kernel did not properly handle file references in the host, leading to a
use-after-free vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause a
denial of service (system crash) or possibly expose sensitive information
(kernel memory). (CVE-2023-1838)

Jose Oliveira and Rodrigo Branco discovered that the Spectre Variant 2
mitigations with prctl syscall were insufficient in some situations. A
local attacker could possibly use this to expose sensitive information.
(CVE-2023-1998)

Daniele Antonioli discovered that the Secure Simple Pairing and Secure
Connections pairing in the Bluetooth protocol could allow an
unauthenticated user to complete authentication without pairing
credentials. A physically proximate attacker placed between two Bluetooth
devices could use this to subsequently impersonate one of the paired
devices. (CVE-2023-24023)

shanzhulig discovered that the DRM subsystem in the Linux kernel contained
a race condition when performing certain operation while handling driver
unload, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. A local attacker could
use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute
arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-51043)

It was discovered that a race condition existed in the Bluetooth subsystem
of the Linux kernel, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. A local
attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or
possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2023-51779)

It was discovered that the device mapper driver in the Linux kernel did not
properly validate target size during certain memory allocations. A local
attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2023-52429, CVE-2024-23851)

Zhenghan Wang discovered that the generic ID allocator implementation in
the Linux kernel did not properly check for null bitmap when releasing IDs.
A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system
crash). (CVE-2023-6915)

It was discovered that the SCTP protocol implementation in the Linux kernel
contained a race condition when handling lock acquisition in certain
situations. A local attacker could possibly use this to cause a denial of
service (kernel deadlock). (CVE-2024-0639)

Several security issues were discovered in the Linux kernel.
An attacker could possibly use these to compromise the system.
This update corrects flaws in the following subsystems:

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Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.

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Update instructions

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu 18.04
Ubuntu 16.04
Ubuntu 14.04

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make
all the necessary changes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have
been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and
reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed.
Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages
(e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual,
linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform
this as well.

References

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