REDHAT-BUG-2467771: High severity The Linux Foundation Linux Kernel vulnerability
The “Dirty Frag” vulnerability is a chained local privilege escalation (LPE) issue in the Linux kernel that combines flaws in the ESP/XFRM and RXRPC subsystems to allow an unprivileged local attacker to gain root access on major Linux distributions. The attack abuses kernel page-cache manipulation and network protocol handling to overwrite privileged binaries and execute arbitrary code with elevated privileges. Exploitation differs by distribution: the ESP issue affects systems permitting unprivileged user namespaces, while the RXRPC issue impacts distributions with RXRPC enabled, such as Ubuntu. Together, the vulnerabilities provide broad cross-distribution root compromise capability, with mitigations involving disabling vulnerable kernel modules (esp4, esp6, and rxrpc) until upstream patches are fully merged and deployed.
Affected Software
Remediation
Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.
- Compensating control
Disable the vulnerable Linux kernel modules esp4, esp6, and rxrpc (e.g., stop/unload them and prevent them from loading) until upstream patches are fully merged and deployed.
Event History
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the severity of REDHAT-BUG-2467771?
The severity of REDHAT-BUG-2467771 is rated as high with a score of 7.
What type of vulnerability is REDHAT-BUG-2467771?
REDHAT-BUG-2467771 is classified as a chained local privilege escalation (LPE) vulnerability.
How can an attacker exploit REDHAT-BUG-2467771?
An attacker can exploit REDHAT-BUG-2467771 by manipulating kernel page-cache to gain root access.
Which systems are affected by REDHAT-BUG-2467771?
Major Linux distributions utilizing the affected Linux kernel version are vulnerable to REDHAT-BUG-2467771.
What is the recommended action to mitigate REDHAT-BUG-2467771?
Updating the Linux kernel to the latest version that addresses REDHAT-BUG-2467771 is the recommended mitigation.