USN-4999-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

23 June 2021

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

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Releases

Packages

  • linux - Linux kernel
  • linux-aws - Linux kernel for Amazon Web Services (AWS) systems
  • linux-aws-5.8 - Linux kernel for Amazon Web Services (AWS) systems
  • linux-azure - Linux kernel for Microsoft Azure Cloud systems
  • linux-azure-5.8 - Linux kernel for Microsoft Azure cloud systems
  • linux-gcp - Linux kernel for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) systems
  • linux-gcp-5.8 - Linux kernel for Google Cloud Platform (GCP) systems
  • linux-hwe-5.8 - Linux hardware enablement (HWE) kernel
  • linux-kvm - Linux kernel for cloud environments
  • linux-oracle - Linux kernel for Oracle Cloud systems
  • linux-oracle-5.8 - Linux kernel for Oracle Cloud systems
  • linux-raspi - Linux kernel for Raspberry Pi (V8) systems

Details

Norbert Slusarek discovered a race condition in the CAN BCM networking
protocol of the Linux kernel leading to multiple use-after-free
vulnerabilities. A local attacker could use this issue to execute arbitrary
code. (CVE-2021-3609)

Piotr Krysiuk discovered that the eBPF implementation in the Linux kernel
did not properly enforce limits for pointer operations. A local attacker
could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly
execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-33200)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation did
not properly clear received fragments from memory in some situations. A
physically proximate attacker could possibly use this issue to inject
packets or expose sensitive information. (CVE-2020-24586)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation
incorrectly handled encrypted fragments. A physically proximate attacker
could possibly use this issue to decrypt fragments. (CVE-2020-24587)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation
incorrectly handled certain malformed frames. If a user were tricked into
connecting to a malicious server, a physically proximate attacker could use
this issue to inject packets. (CVE-2020-24588)

Kiyin (尹亮) discovered that the NFC LLCP protocol implementation in the
Linux kernel contained a reference counting error. A local attacker could
use this to cause a denial of service (system crash). (CVE-2020-25670)

Kiyin (尹亮) discovered that the NFC LLCP protocol implementation in the
Linux kernel did not properly deallocate memory in certain error
situations. A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service
(memory exhaustion). (CVE-2020-25671, CVE-2020-25672)

Kiyin (尹亮) discovered that the NFC LLCP protocol implementation in the
Linux kernel did not properly handle error conditions in some situations,
leading to an infinite loop. A local attacker could use this to cause a
denial of service. (CVE-2020-25673)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation
incorrectly handled EAPOL frames from unauthenticated senders. A physically
proximate attacker could inject malicious packets to cause a denial of
service (system crash). (CVE-2020-26139)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation did
not properly verify certain fragmented frames. A physically proximate
attacker could possibly use this issue to inject or decrypt packets.
(CVE-2020-26141)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation
accepted plaintext fragments in certain situations. A physically proximate
attacker could use this issue to inject packets. (CVE-2020-26145)

Mathy Vanhoef discovered that the Linux kernel’s WiFi implementation could
reassemble mixed encrypted and plaintext fragments. A physically proximate
attacker could possibly use this issue to inject packets or exfiltrate
selected fragments. (CVE-2020-26147)

Or Cohen discovered that the SCTP implementation in the Linux kernel
contained a race condition in some situations, leading to a use-after-free
condition. A local attacker could use this to cause a denial of service
(system crash) or possibly execute arbitrary code. (CVE-2021-23133)

Piotr Krysiuk and Benedict Schlueter discovered that the eBPF
implementation in the Linux kernel performed out of bounds speculation on
pointer arithmetic. A local attacker could use this to expose sensitive
information. (CVE-2021-29155)

Manfred Paul discovered that the extended Berkeley Packet Filter (eBPF)
implementation in the Linux kernel contained an out-of-bounds
vulnerability. A local attacker could use this issue to execute arbitrary
code. (CVE-2021-31440)

Piotr Krysiuk discovered that the eBPF implementation in the Linux kernel
did not properly prevent speculative loads in certain situations. A local
attacker could use this to expose sensitive information (kernel memory).
(CVE-2021-31829)

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Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.

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Update instructions

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu 20.10
Ubuntu 20.04

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make
all the necessary changes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have
been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and
reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed.
Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages
(e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual,
linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform
this as well.

References

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