Description
fs/direct-io.c in the dio subsystem in the Linux kernel before 2.6.23 does not properly zero out the dio struct, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (OOPS), as demonstrated by a certain fio test.
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 4.0 | fai-kernels | 1.17+etch.22etch3 | DSA-1653-1 |
| Debian 4.0 | linux-2.6 | 2.6.18.dfsg.1-22etch3 | DSA-1653-1 |
| Debian 4.0 | user-mode-linux | 2.6.18-1um-2etch.22etch3 | DSA-1653-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-92.1.13.el5 | RHSA-2008:0885 |
| RHEL 4 | kernel +10 | 2.6.9-78.0.8.EL | RHSA-2008:0972 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2008:0885 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2008:0972 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-1653-1 fai-kernels linux-2.6 user-mode-linux - several vulnerabilities Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
References
- SUSE-SA:2008:047 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2008:0885 vendor-advisory
- 32393 third-party-advisory
- 32237 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2008:0972 vendor-advisory
- oval:org.mitre.oval:def:10053 vdb-entry signature
- SUSE-SA:2008:052 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=848c4dd5153c7a0de55470ce99a8e13a63b4703f
- USN-659-1 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20080904 CVE request: kernel: dio: zero struct dio with kzalloc instead of manually mailing-list
- [linux-kernel] 20070731 Re: [PATCH] add check do_direct_IO() return val mailing-list
- SUSE-SA:2008:056 vendor-advisory
- 32103 third-party-advisory
- DSA-1653 vendor-advisory
- 32356 third-party-advisory
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.23
- 32023 third-party-advisory
- 32759 third-party-advisory
- MDVSA-2008:220 vendor-advisory
- 32370 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SA:2008:051 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=461082
- 32799 third-party-advisory
- SUSE-SR:2008:025 vendor-advisory
- 31515 vdb-entry