CVE-2015-4700: Medium severity linux kernel vulnerability

Published Jun 19, 2015
·
Updated

A flaw was found in the kernels implementation of the Berkly Packet Filter. Specially crafted BPF code may be able to crash the system by creating a situation in which the JIT compiler will fail to correctly optimise the JIT image on the last pass. This would to the CPU executing instructions that were not part of the JIT code.

Workaround:

This issue does not affect most systems by default. An administrator would need to have enabled the BPF JIT to be affected.

It can be disabled immediately with the command:

echo 0 > /proc/sys/net/core/bpfjitenable

Or it can be disabled for all subsequent boots of the system by setting a value in /etc/sysctl.d/44-bpf-jit-disable

start file ##

net.core.bpfjitenable=0

end file ##

Resources:

http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2015/q2/784 https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/davem/net.git/commit/id=3f7352bf21f8fd7ba3e2fcef9488756f188e12be

Other sources

The bpfintjitcompile function in arch/x86/net/bpfjitcomp.c in the Linux kernel before 4.0.6 allows local users to cause a denial of service (system crash) by creating a packet filter and then loading crafted BPF instructions that trigger late convergence by the JIT compiler.

Launchpad

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel<=4.0.5
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.22-16.12.25-1

Event History

Jun 19, 2015
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·09:44 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Aug 31, 2015
CVE Published
via MITRE·10:00 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·10:00 AM
Description
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·10:09 PM
Description
Sep 20, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:09 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 27, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·03:19 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2015-4700?

CVE-2015-4700 is classified as a high severity vulnerability due to its potential to crash the system.

2

How do I fix CVE-2015-4700?

To mitigate CVE-2015-4700, users should upgrade the Linux kernel to versions 4.0.6 or higher, as well as install the specified patched versions in Debian packages.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2015-4700?

CVE-2015-4700 affects Linux kernel versions up to and including 4.0.5, as well as specific Debian packages.

4

What types of attacks can be executed using CVE-2015-4700?

CVE-2015-4700 can be exploited to create specially crafted BPF code that leads to system crashes.

5

When was CVE-2015-4700 disclosed?

CVE-2015-4700 was disclosed in 2015, highlighting issues with the kernel's implementation of the Berkeley Packet Filter.

Contact

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