Multiple Race Condition Vulnerabilities Fixed in the Linux Kernel

Rohan Timalsina

February 22, 2024 - TuxCare expert team

A race condition vulnerability usually occurs in concurrent or multi-threaded programs where multiple processes or threads access shared resources without proper synchronization. Unpredictable outcomes like data corruption, system crashes, or unauthorized access may result from this. Recently, several security issues have been addressed in the Linux kernel, including race condition and null pointer dereference vulnerabilities.

Linux Kernel Race Condition Vulnerabilities

Race Condition in KSMBD Implementation

Multiple vulnerabilities were discovered by Quentin Minster, revealing a race condition within the KSMBD implementation. This flaw could potentially be exploited by remote attackers to cause a denial of service or execute arbitrary code, posing a significant threat to system stability and security. The assigned CVE numbers are CVE-2023-32250, CVE-2023-32252, and CVE-2023-32257.

Use-After-Free in Renesas Ethernet AVB Driver (CVE-2023-35827)

Cvss 3 Severity Score: 7.0

Another vulnerability, brought to light by Zheng Wang, exposed a use-after-free vulnerability in the Renesas Ethernet AVB driver during device removal. An attacker with privileged access could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).

Race Condition in SEV Implementation (CVE-2023-46813)

Cvss 3 Severity Score: 7.0

Tom Dohrmann’s findings shed light on a race condition vulnerability within the Secure Encrypted Virtualization (SEV) implementation for AMD processors. This issues, present in SEV guest VMs, could enable a local attacker to cause a system crash or execute arbitrary code.

Race Condition in Microchip USB Ethernet Driver (CVE-2023-6039)

Cvss 3 Severity Score: 5.5

A race condition during device removal in the Microchip USB Ethernet driver was discovered, potentially leading to a use-after-free flaw. A physically proximate attacker could use this issue to cause a denial of service.

CVE-2023-6531 (Cvss 3 Severity Score: 7.0)

Jann Horn identified a use-after-free vulnerability triggered by a race condition. Specifically, it occurs when the unix garbage collector attempts to delete a Socket Buffer (SKB) concurrently with the unix_stream_read_generic() function execution on the associated socket, leading to potential exploitation.

TLS Subsystem Vulnerability (CVE-2023-6176)

Cvss 3 Severity Score: 4.7

A vulnerability within the TLS subsystem was identified, highlighting shortcomings in cryptographic operations under certain conditions. This flaw, resulting in a null pointer dereference, could be exploited by local attackers to cause a system crash or execute arbitrary code.

For complete details on all fixed vulnerabilities, please visit Ubuntu Security Notice and Debian Security Advisory.

Conclusion

The discovery and subsequent mitigation of these race condition vulnerabilities emphasize the collaborative efforts within the Linux community to uphold system security. Timely updates are crucial for safeguarding against potential exploits, and users are urged to apply patches promptly.

TuxCare’s KernelCare Enterprise offers rebootless patching for the Linux kernels, which eliminates the need to restart the system or schedule maintenance windows. In addition, all security patches are deployed automatically as soon as they are available. With KernelCare live patching, you can strengthen the resilience of the Linux ecosystem against emerging threats.

Learn how live patching works with KernelCare Enterprise.

Source: USN-6626-1

Summary