Description
The ExecShield feature in a certain Red Hat patch for the Linux kernel in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 5 and 6 and Fedora 15 and 16 does not properly handle use of many shared libraries by a 32-bit executable file, which makes it easier for context-dependent attackers to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism by leveraging a predictable base address for one of these libraries.
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 +15 | 2.6.32-279.14.1.el6 | RHSA-2012:1426 |
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-348.1.1.el5 | RHSA-2013:0168 |
Advisories 2
- RHSA-2013:0168 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- RHSA-2012:1426 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
References
- http://scarybeastsecurity.blogspot.com/2012/03/some-random-observations-on-linux-aslr.html
- https://oss.oracle.com/git/?p=redpatch.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=302a4fc15aebf202b6dffd6c804377c6058ee6e4
- [oss-security] 20120320 Re: CVE request -- kernel: execshield: predictable ascii armour base address mailing-list
- [oss-security] 20120321 Re: CVE request -- kernel: execshield: predictable ascii armour base address mailing-list
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=804947