Description
Buffer overflow in NFS readlink handling in the Linux Kernel 2.4 up to 2.4.31 allows remote NFS servers to cause a denial of service (crash) via a long symlink, which is not properly handled in (1) nfs2xdr.c or (2) nfs3xdr.c and causes a crash in the NFS client.
Fixed in Linux distributions
Distributions backport fixes, so the version that fixes this vulnerability differs per release — upgrade to at least the version shown. From the distributions' security trackers and advisories.
Debian
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Debian 3.1 | fai-kernels | 1.9.1sarge4 | DSA-1184-2, DSA-1183-1 |
| Debian 3.1 | kernel-source-2.4.27 | 2.4.27-10sarge4 | DSA-1183-1 |
| Debian 3.1 | kernel-source-2.6.8 | 2.6.8-16sarge5 | DSA-1184-2 |
| Debian 3.1 | systemimager | 3.2.3-6sarge3 | DSA-1183-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 3 | kernel +8 | 2.4.21-40.EL | RHSA-2006:0144 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2006:0144 Red Hat Security Advisory: Updated kernel packages available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 7 Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1183-1 kernel-source-2.4.27 - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- DSA-1184-2 kernel-source-2.6.8 - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- DSA-1183 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:11536 vdb-entry signature
- 22082 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2006:028 vendor-advisory
- 20186 vdb-entry
- http://www.kernel.org/git/?p=linux/kernel/git/marcelo/linux-2.4.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=87e03738fc15dc3ea4acde3a5dcb5f84b6b6152b
- [linux-kernel] 20050912 [PATCH] nfs client, kernel 2.4.31: readlink result overflow mailing-list
- 20398 third-party-advisory
- http://www.kernel.org/git/?p=linux/kernel/git/marcelo/linux-2.4.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=87e03738fc15dc3ea4acde3a5dcb5f84b6b6152b
- 22093 third-party-advisory
- DSA-1184 vendor-advisory