CVE-2012-5517: Null Pointer Dereference

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2012-5517?

CVE-2012-5517 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to the potential for unprivileged local users to crash the system.

Q: How do I fix CVE-2012-5517?

To fix CVE-2012-5517, upgrade to the patched versions of the Linux Kernel, specifically 5.10.223-1 or higher.

Q: What systems are affected by CVE-2012-5517?

CVE-2012-5517 affects various versions of the Linux Kernel up to 3.5.7 and includes release candidates and specific versions like 3.0.1 through 3.0.44.

Q: Can CVE-2012-5517 be exploited remotely?

No, CVE-2012-5517 can only be exploited locally by unprivileged users on the affected systems.

Q: Is there any known workaround for CVE-2012-5517?

There are no effective workarounds for CVE-2012-5517; the only solution is to apply the appropriate kernel updates.

Published Nov 10, 2012

Updated

A NULL pointer dereference flaw has been found in the way a new node's hot-added memory is propagated to other nodes zonelists. An unprivileged local user can use this flaw to crash the system.

Upstream fix: http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git;a=commitdiff;h=08dff7b7d629807dbb1f398c68dd9cd58dd657a1

Other sources

The onlinepages function in mm/memoryhotplug.c in the Linux kernel before 3.6 allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact in opportunistic circumstances by using memory that was hot-added by an administrator.

— Launchpad

Affected Software

170 affected componentsFixes available

Linux Linux kernel<=3.5.7

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc1

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc2

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc3

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc4

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc5

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc6

Linux Linux kernel=3.0-rc7

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.6

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.7

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.8

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.9

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.10

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.11

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.12

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.13

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.14

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.15

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.16

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.17

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.18

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.19

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.20

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.21

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.22

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.23

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.24

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.25

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.26

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.27

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.28

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.29

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.30

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.31

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.32

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.33

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.34

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.35

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.36

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.37

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.38

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.39

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.40

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.41

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.42

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.43

Linux Linux kernel=3.0.44

Linux Linux kernel=3.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.1-rc1

Linux Linux kernel=3.1-rc2

Linux Linux kernel=3.1-rc3

Linux Linux kernel=3.1-rc4

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.6

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.7

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.8

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.9

Linux Linux kernel=3.1.10

Linux Linux kernel=3.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc2

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc3

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc4

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc5

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc6

Linux Linux kernel=3.2-rc7

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.6

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.7

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.8

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.9

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.10

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.11

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.12

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.13

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.14

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.15

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.16

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.17

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.18

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.19

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.20

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.21

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.22

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.23

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.24

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.25

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.26

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.27

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.28

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.29

Linux Linux kernel=3.2.30

Linux Linux kernel=3.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc1

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc2

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc3

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc4

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc5

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc6

Linux Linux kernel=3.3-rc7

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.6

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.7

Linux Linux kernel=3.3.8

Linux Linux kernel=3.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc1

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc2

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc3

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc4

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc5

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc6

Linux Linux kernel=3.4-rc7

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.10

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.11

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.12

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.13

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.14

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.15

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.16

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.17

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.18

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.19

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.20

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.21

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.22

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.23

Linux Linux kernel=3.4.24

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.1

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.2

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.3

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.4

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.5

Linux Linux kernel=3.5.6

debian/linux

5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.133-16.12.21-16.12.22-1

Remediation

Patch Available

http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/patch-3.6.bz2

Event History

Nov 10, 2012

Data Sourced

via Red Hat·09:19 PM

DescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Dec 21, 2012

CVE Published

via MITRE·11:00 AM

Data Sourced

via MITRE·11:00 AM

Description

Data Sourced

via NVD·11:47 AM

RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Jan 11, 2024

Data Sourced

via Launchpad·10:00 PM

Description

Sep 16, 2024

Data Sourced

via Ubuntu·12:49 AM

RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software

Apr 20, 2025

Data Sourced

via Debian·01:26 AM

DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2012-5517?

CVE-2012-5517 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to the potential for unprivileged local users to crash the system.

How do I fix CVE-2012-5517?

To fix CVE-2012-5517, upgrade to the patched versions of the Linux Kernel, specifically 5.10.223-1 or higher.

What systems are affected by CVE-2012-5517?

CVE-2012-5517 affects various versions of the Linux Kernel up to 3.5.7 and includes release candidates and specific versions like 3.0.1 through 3.0.44.

Can CVE-2012-5517 be exploited remotely?

No, CVE-2012-5517 can only be exploited locally by unprivileged users on the affected systems.

Is there any known workaround for CVE-2012-5517?

There are no effective workarounds for CVE-2012-5517; the only solution is to apply the appropriate kernel updates.

CVE-2012-5517: Null Pointer Dereference

Other sources

Affected Software

Remediation

Patch Available

Event History

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the severity of CVE-2012-5517?

How do I fix CVE-2012-5517?

What systems are affected by CVE-2012-5517?

Can CVE-2012-5517 be exploited remotely?

Is there any known workaround for CVE-2012-5517?

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