CVE-2016-9604: Medium severity linux kernel vulnerability

Published Oct 27, 2016
·
Updated

It was discovered in the Linux kernel before 4.11-rc8 that root can gain direct access to an internal keyring, such as '.dnsresolver' in RHEL-7 or '.builtintrustedkeys' upstream, by joining it as its session keyring. This allows root to bypass module signature verification by adding a new public key of its own devising to the keyring.

Other sources

It was found that it is possible for root to gain direct access to an internal keyring, such as '.dnsresolver' in RHEL-7 or '.builtintrustedkeys' upstream, by joining it as its session keyring. This allows root to bypass module signature verification by adding a new public key of its own devising to the keyring.

References:

https://bugzilla.novell.com/showbug.cgi?id=1035576

http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve/2016/CVE-2016-9604.html

Upstream patch:

https://git.kernel.org/pub/scm/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=ee8f844e3c5a73b999edf733df1c529d6503ec2f

Red Hat

Affected Software

10 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel<4.11
4.11
Linux Linux kernel<=4.11
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc6
Linux Linux kernel=4.11-rc7
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.22-16.12.25-1

Event History

Jul 11, 2018
CVE Published
via MITRE·01:00 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·01:00 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·10:23 PM
Description
Dec 1, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:33 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 31, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·03:32 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2016-9604?

The severity of CVE-2016-9604 is low.

2

How can an attacker exploit CVE-2016-9604?

An attacker can exploit CVE-2016-9604 by joining an internal keyring as its session keyring.

3

Which Linux kernels are affected by CVE-2016-9604?

Linux kernels before 4.11-rc8 are affected by CVE-2016-9604.

4

Is there a fix for CVE-2016-9604?

Yes, updating the Linux kernel to version 4.11-rc8 or later will fix CVE-2016-9604.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2016-9604?

You can find more information about CVE-2016-9604 in the references provided: http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve/2016/CVE-2016-9604.html, https://bugzilla.novell.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1035576, https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=CVE-2016-9604

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