Description
Race condition in the (1) add_key, (2) request_key, and (3) keyctl functions in Linux kernel 2.6.x allows local users to cause a denial of service (crash) or read sensitive kernel memory by modifying the length of a string argument between the time that the kernel calculates the length and when it copies the data into kernel memory.
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.
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | kernel +8 | 2.6.9-42.EL | RHSA-2006:0575 |
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2006:0575 Red Hat Security Advisory: Updated kernel packages available for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 Update 4 Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- 19220 third-party-advisory
- 17084 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2006:0575 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2006:028 vendor-advisory
- 21465 third-party-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9566 vdb-entry signature
- kernel-addkey-dos(25354) vdb-entry
- http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-200.htm
- 20398 third-party-advisory
- 22417 third-party-advisory
- 23894 vdb-entry
- MDKSA-2006:059 vendor-advisory
- USN-263-1 vendor-advisory