Description
SystemTap 1.0, when the --unprivileged option is used, does not properly restrict certain data sizes, which allows local users to (1) cause a denial of service or gain privileges via a print operation with a large number of arguments that trigger a kernel stack overflow, (2) cause a denial of service via crafted DWARF expressions that trigger a kernel stack frame overflow, or (3) cause a denial of service (infinite loop) via vectors that trigger creation of large unwind tables, related to Common Information Entry (CIE) and Call Frame Instruction (CFI) records.
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 14 | systemtap | 1.0-2 | — |
| Debian 13 | systemtap | 1.0-2 | — |
| Debian 12 | systemtap | 1.0-2 | — |
openSUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| openSUSE Tumbleweed | systemtap | 3.0-1.6 | openSUSE-SU-2024:10506-1 |
Advisories 1
- openSUSE-SU-2024:10506-1 systemtap-3.0-1.6 on GA media SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
References
- http://sources.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=10750
- FEDORA-2009-10849 vendor-advisory
- http://gcc.gnu.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=41633
- [oss-security] 20091021 CVE assignment notification -- CVE-2009-2911 - Three SystemTap-1.0 DoS issues mailing-list
- FEDORA-2009-10719 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=529175
- 37167 third-party-advisory
- 36778 vdb-entry
- ADV-2009-2989 vdb-entry