Description
The load_mixer_volumes function in sound/oss/soundcard.c in the OSS sound subsystem in the Linux kernel before 2.6.37 incorrectly expects that a certain name field ends with a '\0' character, which allows local users to conduct buffer overflow attacks and gain privileges, or possibly obtain sensitive information from kernel memory, via a SOUND_MIXER_SETLEVELS ioctl call.
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 4 | kernel +10 | 2.6.9-100.EL | RHSA-2011:0263 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2011:0263 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.9 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
References
- [oss-security] 20101231 Re: CVE request: kernel: buffer overflow in OSS load_mixer_volumes mailing-list
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=667615
- http://xorl.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/cve-2010-4527-linux-kernel-oss-sound-card-driver-buffer-overflow/
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.37
- 45629 vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20101230 CVE request: kernel: buffer overflow in OSS load_mixer_volumes mailing-list
- 42765 third-party-advisory
- ADV-2011-0375 vdb-entry
- SUSE-SA:2011:008 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=d81a12bc29ae4038770e05dce4ab7f26fd5880fb
- 43291 third-party-advisory