Description
The file watch implementation in the audit subsystem (auditctl -w) in the Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 4 kernel 2.6.9 allows local users to cause a denial of service (kernel panic) by replacing a watched file, which does not cause the watch on the old inode to be dropped.
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 | 2.6.9-42.0.10.EL | RHSA-2007:0085 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Third-party code, not reviewed by us. Public PoCs are sometimes fake or contain malware. Read the code first and run it only in an isolated lab, against systems you are authorised to test.
Exploit-DB 1
- Linux Kernel 2.6.x - Audit Subsystems Local Denial of Service EDB-29683 · dos · Feb 27, 2007 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 1
- RHSA-2007:0085 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- 33031 vdb-entry
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:9560 vdb-entry signature
- 24300 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2007:0085 vendor-advisory
- http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=223129
- 1017705 vdb-entry
- 22737 vdb-entry