CVE-2007-5494: Medium severity redhat Enterprise Linux vulnerability

Published Oct 2, 2007
·
Updated

Due issue described in https://bugzilla.redhat.com/showbug.cgi?id=313681

open(OATOMICLOOKUP) leaks the dentry on the filesystems where drevalidate is implemented. i.e open ("/proc/self/exe", ORDONLY); open ("/proc/self/exe", ORDONLY | 02000000);

leaks one dentry.

By this way it's possible to eat all the memory on the node or overflow dentry->dcount.

Both RHEL4 and RHEL5 kernels are vulnerabled

Acknowledgements:

Red Hat would like to credit Vasily Averin for reporting this issue.

Other sources

Memory leak in the Red Hat Content Accelerator kernel patch in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4 and 5 allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via a large number of open requests involving OATOMICLOOKUP.

Red Hat

Affected Software

3 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel<0:2.6.18-53.1.4.el5
0:2.6.18-53.1.4.el5
redhat Enterprise Linux=4.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=5.0

Event History

Oct 2, 2007
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·06:37 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Nov 29, 2007
CVE Published
via Red Hat·12:00 AM
Nov 30, 2007
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:00 AM
Description

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2007-5494?

CVE-2007-5494 is considered a moderate severity vulnerability due to its potential for local denial of service attacks.

2

How do I fix CVE-2007-5494?

To fix CVE-2007-5494, upgrade to the kernel version 0:2.6.18-53.1.4.el5 or later for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, or the appropriate patched version for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.

3

Who is affected by CVE-2007-5494?

CVE-2007-5494 affects local users of Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 4.0 and 5.0.

4

What type of vulnerability is CVE-2007-5494?

CVE-2007-5494 is a memory leak vulnerability that can be exploited to cause local denial of service.

5

What applications are primarily impacted by CVE-2007-5494?

CVE-2007-5494 impacts the Red Hat Content Accelerator in the kernel of Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Contact

SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
132 Wickham Terrace
Fortitude Valley,
QLD 4006, Australia
info@secalerts.co
By using SecAlerts services, you agree to our services end-user license agreement. This website is safeguarded by reCAPTCHA and governed by the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. All names, logos, and brands of products are owned by their respective owners, and any usage of these names, logos, and brands for identification purposes only does not imply endorsement. If you possess any content that requires removal, please get in touch with us.
© 2026 SecAlerts Pty Ltd.
ABN: 70 645 966 203, ACN: 645 966 203