Description
The mountpoint_last function in fs/namei.c in the Linux kernel before 3.15.8 does not properly maintain a certain reference count during attempts to use the umount system call in conjunction with a symlink, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (memory consumption or use-after-free) or possibly have unspecified other impact via the umount program.
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 | 3.14.15-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 3.14.15-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 3.14.15-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | linux | 3.13.0-35.62 | USN-2337-1 |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | perf +17 | 3.10.0-123.13.1.el7 | RHSA-2014:1971 |
| RHEL 6 | perf +16 | 2.6.32-504.el6 | RHSA-2014:1392 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 6.5 EUS | perf +16 | 2.6.32-431.46.2.el6 | RHSA-2015:0062 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | perf +11 | 3.10.0-123.13.1.el7 | ELSA-2014-1971 |
Advisories 5
- RHSA-2015:0062 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2014:1971 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security and bug fix update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- RHSA-2014:1392 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jun 26, 2026
- USN-2337-1 linux vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- ELSA-2014-1971 Important: kernel security and bug fix update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Dec 9, 2014
References
- [oss-security] 20140723 Re: CVE request: kernel: vfs: refcount issues during unmount on symlink mailing-list
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/295dc39d941dc2ae53d5c170365af4c9d5c16212
- 68862 vdb-entry
- RHSA-2015:0062 vendor-advisory
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.15.8
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=295dc39d941dc2ae53d5c170365af4c9d5c16212
- 60353 third-party-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1122472