Description
mount in util-linux 2.19 and earlier attempts to append to the /etc/mtab.tmp file without first checking whether resource limits would interfere, which allows local users to trigger corruption of the /etc/mtab file via a process with a small RLIMIT_FSIZE value, a related issue to CVE-2011-1089.
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 | util-linux | 2.20.1-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | util-linux | 2.20.1-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | util-linux | 2.20.1-1 | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | uuidd +5 | 2.17.2-12.4.el6 | RHSA-2011:1691 |
| RHEL 5 | util-linux | 2.13-0.59.el5 | RHSA-2012:0307 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2011:1691 Red Hat Security Advisory: util-linux-ng security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2012:0307 Red Hat Security Advisory: util-linux security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
References
- [oss-security] 20110314 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110303 Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110322 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110322 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110305 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- 48114 third-party-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=688980
- [oss-security] 20110307 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110401 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110304 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110314 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110331 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110304 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- utillinux-mtab-security-bypass(66705) vdb-entry
- [oss-security] 20110314 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110303 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110305 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110331 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20110315 Re: Suid mount helpers fail to anticipate RLIMIT_FSIZE mailing-list
- RHSA-2011:1691 vendor-advisory