Description
mm/huge_memory.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.38-rc5 does not prevent creation of a transparent huge page (THP) during the existence of a temporary stack for an exec system call, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption) or possibly have unspecified other impact via a crafted application.
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 6 | perf +14 | 2.6.32-131.0.15.el6 | RHSA-2011:0542 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6.0 EUS | perf +14 | 2.6.32-71.31.1.el6 | RHSA-2011:0883 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2011:0542 Red Hat Security Advisory: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1 kernel security, bug fix and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2011:0883 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
References
- [oss-security] 20110217 CVE request - kernel: thp: prevent hugepages during args/env copying into the user stack mailing-list
- 46442 vdb-entry
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/testing/ChangeLog-2.6.38-rc5
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=a7d6e4ecdb7648478ddec76d30d87d03d6e22b31
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=678209
- [oss-security] 20110217 Re: CVE request - kernel: thp: prevent hugepages during args/env copying into the user stack mailing-list
- kernel-hugepages-dos(65535) vdb-entry