Description
Untrusted search path vulnerability in the perf_config function in tools/perf/util/config.c in perf, as distributed in the Linux kernel before 3.1, allows local users to overwrite arbitrary files via a crafted config file in the current working directory.
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 6.0 | linux-2.6 | 2.6.32-35squeeze1 | DSA-2303-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perf +14 | 2.6.32-131.21.1.el6 | RHSA-2011:1465 |
Advisories 2
- DSA-2303-1 linux-2.6 - several issues Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- RHSA-2011:1465 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=729808
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/aba8d056078e47350d85b06a9cabd5afcc4b72ea
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.1
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=aba8d056078e47350d85b06a9cabd5afcc4b72ea
- [oss-security] 20110809 Re: CVE request: perf: may parse user-controlled config file mailing-list