Description
The ftrace implementation in the Linux kernel before 3.8.8 allows local users to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and system crash) or possibly have unspecified other impact by leveraging the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability for write access to the (1) set_ftrace_pid or (2) set_graph_function file, and then making an lseek system call.
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 | 3.8.11-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 3.8.11-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 3.8.11-1 | — |
| Debian 7 | linux | 3.2.41-2+deb7u2 | DSA-2669-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6 | perf +15 | 2.6.32-358.14.1.el6 | RHSA-2013:1051 |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hat OpenStack 3 | perf +9 | 2.6.32-358.114.1.openstack.el6 | RHSA-2013:1080 |
| Red Hat MRG 2 | kernel-rt +11 | 3.6.11.5-rt37.55.el6rt | RHSA-2013:1264 |
Public exploits
Exploit or proof-of-concept code for this vulnerability is publicly available, which lowers the bar for attackers. Treat it as a reason to patch sooner.
Exploit-DB 1
- Linux Kernel 3.2.1 - Tracing Multiple Local Denial of Service Vulnerabilities EDB-38465 · dos · Apr 15, 2013 · verified
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
Advisories 4
- RHSA-2013:1051 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- DSA-2669-1 linux - several Debian Security (DSA / DLA) · Mar 9, 2026
- RHSA-2013:1264 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Nov 22, 2025
- RHSA-2013:1080 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-3.8.8
- USN-1834-1 vendor-advisory
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/6a76f8c0ab19f215af2a3442870eeb5f0e81998d
- RHSA-2013:1051 vendor-advisory
- SUSE-SU-2013:1473 vendor-advisory
- [oss-security] 20130415 CVE request - Linux kernel: tracing NULL pointer dereference mailing-list
- USN-1835-1 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=6a76f8c0ab19f215af2a3442870eeb5f0e81998d
- USN-1838-1 vendor-advisory
- openSUSE-SU-2013:1971 vendor-advisory
- USN-1836-1 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=952197