Description
The pivot_root implementation in fs/namespace.c in the Linux kernel through 3.17 does not properly interact with certain locations of a chroot directory, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (mount-tree loop) via . (dot) values in both arguments to the pivot_root 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 | 3.16.7-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 3.16.7-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 3.16.7-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 24.04 LTS | linux-riscv +6 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 22.04 LTS | linux-riscv +2 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 20.04 LTS | linux-gke +4 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-gcp +3 | No fix yet | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | linux | 3.13.0-40.69 | USN-2420-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | linux-lts-utopic | 3.16.0-26.35~14.04.1 | USN-2447-1 |
Show 1 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 20.04 LTS | linux-azure-fde-5.15 | No fix yet | — |
Red Hat
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHEL 7 | kernel-rt +10 | 3.10.0-693.rt56.617.el7 | RHSA-2017:2077 |
| RHEL 7 | perf +17 | 3.10.0-693.el7 | RHSA-2017:1842 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | perf +11 | 3.10.0-693.el7 | ELSA-2017-1842 |
Advisories 5
- RHSA-2017:2077 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 1, 2026
- RHSA-2017:1842 Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) · Jul 1, 2026
- USN-2420-1 linux vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- USN-2447-1 linux-lts-utopic vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Feb 10, 2026
- ELSA-2017-1842 Important: kernel security, bug fix, and enhancement update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Aug 7, 2017
References
- SUSE-SU-2015:0736 vendor-advisory
- 70319 vdb-entry
- https://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=0d0826019e529f21c84687521d03f60cd241ca7d
- USN-2419-1 vendor-advisory
- USN-2514-1 vendor-advisory
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1151095
- 60174 third-party-advisory
- [oss-security] 20141008 CVE-2014-7970: Linux VFS denial of service mailing-list
- USN-2420-1 vendor-advisory
- RHSA-2017:2077 vendor-advisory
- [linux-fsdevel] 20141008 [PATCH] mnt: Prevent pivot_root from creating a loop in the mount tree mailing-list
- RHSA-2017:1842 vendor-advisory
- linux-kernel-cve20147970-dos(96921) vdb-entry
- USN-2513-1 vendor-advisory
- 61142 third-party-advisory
- 1030991 vdb-entry