Description
The wait_for_unix_gc function in net/unix/garbage.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.37-rc3-next-20101125 does not properly select times for garbage collection of inflight sockets, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang) via crafted use of the socketpair and sendmsg system calls for SOCK_SEQPACKET sockets.
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 5.0 | linux-2.6 | 2.6.26-26lenny2 | DSA-2153-1 |
| Debian 5.0 | user-mode-linux | 2.6.26-1um-2+26lenny2 | DSA-2153-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perf +14 | 2.6.32-71.14.1.el6 | RHSA-2011:0007 |
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-238.5.1.el5 | RHSA-2011:0303 |
| RHEL 4 | kernel +10 | 2.6.9-89.35.1.EL | RHSA-2011:0162 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat MRG 1 | perf +10 | 2.6.33.7-rt29.55.el5rt | RHSA-2011:0330 |
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.
Exploit-DB 1
- Linux Kernel 2.6.37 - Unix Sockets Local Denial of Service EDB-15622 · dos · Nov 27, 2010 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 5
- RHSA-2011:0007 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2011:0162 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-2153-1 linux-2.6 - several issues Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- RHSA-2011:0330 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jan 14, 2026
- RHSA-2011:0303 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
References
- 42354 third-party-advisory
- 20111013 VMSA-2011-0012 VMware ESXi and ESX updates to third party libraries and ESX Service Console mailing-list
- 46397 third-party-advisory
- [oss-security] 20101124 Re: CVE request: kernel: unix socket local dos mailing-list
- FEDORA-2010-18983 vendor-advisory
- 45037 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2011:0007 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20101124 CVE request: kernel: unix socket local dos mailing-list
- [linux-kernel] 20101123 Unix socket local DOS (OOM) mailing-list
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=656756
- ADV-2010-3321 vdb-entry
- 42963 third-party-advisory
- [linux-kernel] 20101125 Simple kernel attack using socketpair. easy, 100% reproductiblle, works under guest. no way to protect :( mailing-list
- http://www.vmware.com/security/advisories/VMSA-2011-0012.html
- [netdev] 20101124 [PATCH] af_unix: limit unix_tot_inflight mailing-list
- 42890 third-party-advisory
- RHSA-2011:0162 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/davem/net-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=9915672d41273f5b77f1b3c29b391ffb7732b84b
- 15622 exploit
- ADV-2011-0168 vdb-entry
- 42745 third-party-advisory
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/next/patch-v2.6.37-rc3-next-20101125.bz2
- [linux-kernel] 20101124 [PATCH net-next-2.6] scm: lower SCM_MAX_FD mailing-list