USN-3835-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

3 December 2018

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

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Releases

Packages

  • linux - Linux kernel
  • linux-gcp - Linux kernel for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) systems
  • linux-kvm - Linux kernel for cloud environments
  • linux-raspi2 - Linux kernel for Raspberry Pi 2

Details

Jann Horn discovered that the procfs file system implementation in the
Linux kernel did not properly restrict the ability to inspect the kernel
stack of an arbitrary task. A local attacker could use this to expose
sensitive information. (CVE-2018-17972)

Jann Horn discovered that the mremap() system call in the Linux kernel did
not properly flush the TLB when completing, potentially leaving access to a
physical page after it has been released to the page allocator. A local
attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash), expose
sensitive information, or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2018-18281)

It was discovered that the BPF verifier in the Linux kernel did not
correctly compute numeric bounds in some situations. A local attacker could
use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly execute
arbitrary code. (CVE-2018-18445)

Daniel Dadap discovered that the module loading implementation in the Linux
kernel did not properly enforce signed module loading when booted with UEFI
Secure Boot in some situations. A local privileged attacker could use this
to execute untrusted code in the kernel. (CVE-2018-18653)

Jann Horn discovered that the Linux kernel mishandles mapping UID or GID
ranges inside nested user namespaces in some situations. A local attacker
could use this to bypass access controls on resources outside the
namespace. (CVE-2018-18955)

Philipp Wendler discovered that the overlayfs implementation in the Linux
kernel did not properly verify the directory contents permissions from
within a unprivileged user namespace. A local attacker could use this to
expose sensitive information (protected file names). (CVE-2018-6559)

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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 18.10

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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