Description
The xfrm_state_netlink function in net/xfrm/xfrm_user.c in the Linux kernel before 3.5.7 does not properly handle error conditions in dump_one_state function calls, which allows local users to gain privileges or cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) by leveraging the CAP_NET_ADMIN capability.
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 | linux | 3.2.32-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 3.2.32-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 3.2.32-1 | — |
| Debian 6.0 | linux-2.6 | 2.6.32-48squeeze3 | DSA-2668-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perf +15 | 2.6.32-358.6.1.el6 | RHSA-2013:0744 |
| RHEL 5 | kernel +12 | 2.6.18-348.4.1.el5 | RHSA-2013:0747 |
Advisories 3
- RHSA-2013:0744 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 28, 2026
- DSA-2668-1 linux-2.6 - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- RHSA-2013:0747 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
References
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.5.7
- USN-1829-1 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/864745d291b5ba80ea0bd0edcbe67273de368836
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=919384
- RHSA-2013:0744 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20130307 Re: CVE Requests (maybe): Linux kernel: various info leaks, some NULL ptr derefs mailing-list
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=864745d291b5ba80ea0bd0edcbe67273de368836