CVE-2019-3874: Medium severity Linux Linux kernel vulnerability

Published Mar 7, 2019
·
Updated

It was found that the cgroup limitation of system resources used by Kubernetes can be bypassed. A guest pod can be used to consume a large amount of system memory.

A suggested upstream patch set:

https://lore.kernel.org/netdev/20190401113110.GA20717@hmswarspite.think-freely.org/T/#u

Other sources

The SCTP socket buffer used by a userspace application is not accounted by the cgroups subsystem. An attacker can use this flaw to cause a denial of service attack.

Affected Software

20 affected componentsFixes available
redhat/kernel-rt<0:4.18.0-147.rt24.93.el8
0:4.18.0-147.rt24.93.el8
redhat/kernel<0:4.18.0-147.el8
0:4.18.0-147.el8
Linux Linux kernel>=3.10.1<=3.10.108
Linux Linux kernel>=4.18.1<=4.18.20
Debian Debian Linux=8.0
redhat Enterprise Linux=7.0
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=14.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=16.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.04
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=18.10
Canonical Ubuntu Linux=19.04
NetApp Active Iq Unified Manager For Vmware Vsphere>=9.5
NetApp Hci Management Node
NetApp Snapprotect
NetApp Solidfire
All of the following
NetApp Cn1610 Firmware
NetApp Cn1610
NetApp Cn1610 Firmware
NetApp Cn1610
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.262-16.1.176-16.1.180-16.12.94-16.12.101-17.1.8-17.1.8-2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel-rt to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:4.18.0-147.rt24.93.el8
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade redhat/kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 0:4.18.0-147.el8
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/linux to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.10.223-1Fixed in 5.10.262-1Fixed in 6.1.176-1Fixed in 6.1.180-1Fixed in 6.12.94-1Fixed in 6.12.101-1Fixed in 7.1.8-1Fixed in 7.1.8-2
  4. Configuration

    If SELinux is not used, or if Security Context Constraint allows running pods as root, blacklist the 'sctp' kernel module to mitigate the SCTP socket buffer/cgroup accounting issue.

    Linux kernel (modules) Blacklist kernel module = sctp

Event History

Mar 7, 2019
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·11:05 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Mar 19, 2019
CVE Published
12:00 AM
Mar 25, 2019
CVE Published
via MITRE·06:30 PM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·06:30 PM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via NVD·07:29 PM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected Software
Jan 11, 2024
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·11:29 PM
Description
Jul 4, 2026
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·11:03 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Aug 16, 2026
Data Sourced
via Debian·11:12 AM
DescriptionAffected Software

Parent advisories

This vulnerability appears in the following advisories.

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2019-3874?

CVE-2019-3874 has been classified as a medium severity vulnerability due to its potential to allow resource consumption beyond intended limits.

2

How do I fix CVE-2019-3874?

To mitigate CVE-2019-3874, update your kernel to version 4.18.0-147.rt24.93.el8 or later.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2019-3874?

CVE-2019-3874 affects certain versions of the Linux kernel and Kubernetes running on various distributions like Red Hat, Ubuntu, and Debian.

4

How does CVE-2019-3874 exploit Kubernetes?

CVE-2019-3874 allows a guest pod to bypass cgroup restrictions, leading to uncontrolled memory usage in the host system.

5

What are the recommended actions to secure against CVE-2019-3874?

It is recommended to apply the latest kernel patches and updates from your distribution to remediate CVE-2019-3874.

Contact

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