USN-6172-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

16 June 2023

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

Reduce your security exposure

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.

Learn more about Ubuntu Pro

Releases

Packages

Details

It was discovered that the TUN/TAP driver in the Linux kernel did not
properly initialize socket data. A local attacker could use this to cause a
denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2023-1076)

It was discovered that the Real-Time Scheduling Class implementation in the
Linux kernel contained a type confusion vulnerability in some situations. A
local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2023-1077)

It was discovered that the ASUS HID driver in the Linux kernel did not
properly handle device removal, leading to a use-after-free vulnerability.
A local attacker with physical access could plug in a specially crafted USB
device to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2023-1079)

It was discovered that the Xircom PCMCIA network device driver in the Linux
kernel did not properly handle device removal events. A physically
proximate attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system
crash). (CVE-2023-1670)

It was discovered that a race condition existed in the Xen transport layer
implementation for the 9P file system protocol in the Linux kernel, leading
to a use-after-free vulnerability. A local attacker could use this to cause
a denial of service (guest crash) or expose sensitive information (guest
kernel memory). (CVE-2023-1859)

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)

It was discovered that the BigBen Interactive Kids' gamepad driver in the
Linux kernel did not properly handle device removal, leading to a use-
after-free vulnerability. A local attacker with physical access could plug
in a specially crafted USB device to cause a denial of service (system
crash). (CVE-2023-25012)

It was discovered that a use-after-free vulnerability existed in the HFS+
file system implementation in the Linux kernel. A local attacker could
possibly use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2023-2985)

Reduce your security exposure

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.

Learn more about Ubuntu Pro

Update instructions

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

Ubuntu 22.04
Ubuntu 20.04

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

Related notices

Join the discussion

Need help with your security needs?

Ubuntu Pro provides up to ten-year security coverage for over 23,000 open-source packages within the Ubuntu Main and Universe repositories.

Talk to an expert to find out what would work best for you

Further reading