CVE-2016-9685: Medium severity linux kernel vulnerability

Published Nov 21, 2016
·
Updated

A flaw was found in the Linux kernels implementation of XFS file attributes. Two memory leaks were detected in xfsattrshortformlist and xfsattr3leaflistint when running a docker container backed by xfs/overlay2. A dedicated attacker could possible exhaust all memory and create a denial of service situation.

Product bug:

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/showbug.cgi?id=1391223

OSS-Security post: http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2016/q4/544

Other sources

Multiple memory leaks in error paths in fs/xfs/xfsattrlist.c in the Linux kernel before 4.5.1 allow local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted XFS filesystem operations.

Launchpad

Affected Software

2 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel<=4.5.0
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.133-16.12.22-1

Event History

Nov 21, 2016
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·09:02 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Dec 28, 2016
CVE Published
via MITRE·07:42 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·07:42 AM
Description
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·10:23 PM
Description
Sep 16, 2024
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:18 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Apr 20, 2025
Data Sourced
via Debian·03:35 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the vulnerability CVE-2016-9685?

Multiple memory leaks in error paths in fs/xfs/xfs_attr_list.c in the Linux kernel before 4.5.1 allow local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) via crafted XFS filesystem operations.

2

Which software versions are affected by CVE-2016-9685?

The vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions before 4.5.1.

3

What is the severity of CVE-2016-9685?

The severity of CVE-2016-9685 is low.

4

How can I fix CVE-2016-9685?

To fix CVE-2016-9685, update your Linux kernel to version 4.5.1 or later.

5

Where can I find more information about CVE-2016-9685?

You can find more information about CVE-2016-9685 at the following references: [Link 1](http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2016/11/30/1), [Link 2](http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=2e83b79b2d6c78bf1b4aa227938a214dcbddc83f), [Link 3](http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.5.1).

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