Description
The perfmonctl system call (sys_perfmonctl) in Linux kernel 2.4.x and 2.6 before 2.6.18, when running on Itanium systems, does not properly track the reference count for file descriptors, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (file descriptor consumption).
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 | kernel-source-2.6.8 | 2.6.8-16sarge6 | DSA-1233-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 4 | kernel +8 | 2.6.9-42.0.3.EL | RHSA-2006:0689 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2006:0689 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1233-1 kernel-source-2.6.8 - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- http://www.kernel.org/git/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=b8444d00762703e1b6146fce12ce2684885f8bf6
- http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=204360
- MDKSA-2007:025 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2006:079 vendor-advisory
- 22279 third-party-advisory
- 22292 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2006:0689 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:11250 vdb-entry signature
- MDKSA-2006:182 vendor-advisory
- 22382 third-party-advisory
- 23474 third-party-advisory
- kernel-sysperfmon-dos(29384) vdb-entry
- DSA-1233 vendor-advisory
- 23370 third-party-advisory
- http://support.avaya.com/elmodocs2/security/ASA-2006-249.htm
- 22945 third-party-advisory
- ADV-2006-3937 vdb-entry
- 20361 vdb-entry