CVE-2011-4621: Medium severity linux kernel vulnerability
A tight loop in user level process isn't preempted unless a realtime process is woken up on the cpu. Some important kernel threads such as events/, kblockd/ can be blocked by the process, and the machine stalls.
Unprivileged local user could use this flaw to DoS the system.
Upstream commit: http://git.kernel.org/linus/f26f9aff6aaf67e9a430d16c266f91b13a5bff64
Reference: https://lkml.org/lkml/2010/11/20/212
Acknowledgements:
Red Hat would like to thank Masaki Tachibana for reporting this issue.
Other sources
The Linux kernel before 2.6.37 does not properly implement a certain clock-update optimization, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang) via an application that executes code in a loop.
— Launchpad
Affected Software
Remediation
Patch Available
Patch Available
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of CVE-2011-4621?
CVE-2011-4621 is classified as a High severity vulnerability due to its potential to cause a denial of service.
How do I fix CVE-2011-4621?
To fix CVE-2011-4621, upgrade to a kernel version later than 2.6.37 that addresses this vulnerability.
Who is affected by CVE-2011-4621?
CVE-2011-4621 affects unprivileged local users running vulnerable versions of the Linux kernel.
What type of attack does CVE-2011-4621 enable?
CVE-2011-4621 allows an unprivileged local user to execute a denial of service attack, potentially blocking critical kernel threads.
What is the impact of CVE-2011-4621 on system performance?
The impact of CVE-2011-4621 can lead to system stalls and degraded performance due to blocked kernel threads.