Description
kernel/taskstats.c in the Linux kernel before 3.1 allows local users to obtain sensitive I/O statistics by sending taskstats commands to a netlink socket, as demonstrated by discovering the length of another user's password.
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 | 2.6.32-131.21.1.el6 | RHSA-2011:1465 |
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-274.12.1.el5 | RHSA-2011:1479 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat MRG 2 | kernel-rt +10 | 2.6.33.9-rt31.79.el6rt | RHSA-2012:0010 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2012:0010 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2011:1479 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2011:1465 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
References
- [oss-security] 20110627 Re: CVE request: kernel: taskstats/procfs io infoleak mailing-list
- SUSE-SU-2012:0554 vendor-advisory
- 48898 third-party-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=1a51410abe7d0ee4b1d112780f46df87d3621043
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/1a51410abe7d0ee4b1d112780f46df87d3621043
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=716842
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.1