CVE-2011-2942: Null Pointer Dereference
A certain Red Hat patch to the brdeliver function in net/bridge/brforward.c in the Linux kernel 2.6.18 on Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 allows remote attackers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging connectivity to a network interface that uses an Ethernet bridge device.
Other sources
In the brforwardfinish() function, we may call kfree() on the skb we are forwarding, and so, after it, we should not dereference skb->dev pointer. With the fix, we save skb->dev before calling the brforwardfinish() function, so that we can use it afterwards.
— Red Hat
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2011-2942?
CVE-2011-2942 is considered to have a moderate severity level due to its potential to cause a denial of service.
How do I fix CVE-2011-2942?
To mitigate CVE-2011-2942, apply the latest kernel patches provided by your Linux distribution.
Which systems are affected by CVE-2011-2942?
CVE-2011-2942 affects Linux kernel version 2.6.18, specifically on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.
What impact can CVE-2011-2942 have on systems?
CVE-2011-2942 may result in a denial of service due to a NULL pointer dereference that can cause system crashes.
Who can exploit CVE-2011-2942?
Remote attackers can exploit CVE-2011-2942 to initiate a denial of service attack against vulnerable systems.