CVE-2010-0003: Infoleak
Description of problem: When print-fatal-signals is enabled it's possible to dump any memory reachable by the kernel to the log by simply jumping to that address from user space.
Or crash the system if there's some hardware with read side effects.
The fatal signals handler will dump 16 bytes at the execution address, which is fully controlled by ring 3.
In addition when something jumps to a unmapped address there will be up to 16 additional useless page faults, which might be potentially slow (and at least is not very efficient)
Fortunately this option is off by default and only there on i386.
But fix it by checking for kernel addresses and also stopping when there's a page fault.
References: http://patchwork.kernel.org/patch/69752/ http://git.kernel.org/linus/b45c6e76bc2c72f6426c14bed64fdcbc9bf37cb0
Other sources
The printfatalsignal function in kernel/signal.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.32.4 on the i386 platform, when print-fatal-signals is enabled, allows local users to discover the contents of arbitrary memory locations by jumping to an address and then reading a log file, and might allow local users to cause a denial of service (system slowdown or crash) by jumping to an address.
— MITRE
Affected Software
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2010-0003?
CVE-2010-0003 has a high severity level due to the potential to dump sensitive kernel memory and cause system crashes.
How do I fix CVE-2010-0003?
To fix CVE-2010-0003, users should upgrade the Linux kernel to a version higher than 2.6.32.4 or apply patches provided by their distribution.
Which systems are affected by CVE-2010-0003?
CVE-2010-0003 affects Linux Kernel versions up to 2.6.32.4 and specific versions of Debian GNU/Linux, namely 4.0 and 5.0.
What are the risks of CVE-2010-0003?
The risks of CVE-2010-0003 include unauthorized access to sensitive data and potential system instability or crashes.
Is CVE-2010-0003 remotely exploitable?
CVE-2010-0003 is not considered remotely exploitable as it requires local user access to trigger the vulnerability.