Description
The tower_probe function in drivers/usb/misc/legousbtower.c in the Linux kernel before 4.8.1 allows local users (who are physically proximate for inserting a crafted USB device) to gain privileges by leveraging a write-what-where condition that occurs after a race condition and a NULL pointer dereference.
Affected products
| Vendor | Product | Affected | Fixed |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | Linux kernel through version 4.9-rc1 | Linux kernel through version 4.9-rc1 | — |
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 | 4.7.8-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 4.7.8-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 4.7.8-1 | — |
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 16.04 LTS | linux | 4.4.0-47.68 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-raspi2 | 4.4.0-1038.45 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-snapdragon | 4.4.0-1035.39 | — |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | linux | 3.13.0-142.191 | USN-3583-1 |
| Ubuntu 14.04 LTS | linux-lts-xenial | 4.4.0-47.68~14.04.1 | — |
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 | — |
SUSE
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES 12 SP1 | kernel-xen +3 | 3.12.74-60.64.66.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SLES 12 SP1 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP1_Update_23 | 1-2.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SLES 12 | kernel-ec2 +4 | 3.12.61-52.106.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3249-1, SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SLES 12 | kgraft-patch-SLE12_Update_29 | 1-5.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3249-1 |
| SLES 11 SP4 | kernel-docs | 3.0.101-108.18.3 | SUSE-SU-2017:3265-1 |
| SLES 11 SP4 | kernel-ec2 +8 | 3.0.101-108.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3265-1 |
| SLES 11 SP3 | kernel-ec2 +7 | 3.0.101-0.47.106.11.1 | SUSE-SU-2018:0040-1 |
Show 5 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | kernel-xen +3 | 3.12.74-60.64.66.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SLES for SAP 12 SP1 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP1_Update_23 | 1-2.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SLES for SAP 11 SP4 | kernel-ec2 +8 | 3.0.101-108.18.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3265-1 |
| SLE Real Time 11 SP4 | kernel-rt +3 | 3.0.101.rt130-69.14.1 | SUSE-SU-2018:0180-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 6 | kernel-xen +3 | 3.12.74-60.64.66.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SUSE OpenStack Cloud 6 | kgraft-patch-SLE12-SP1_Update_23 | 1-2.1 | SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Point of Sale 11 SP3 | kernel-ec2 +6 | 3.0.101-0.47.106.11.1 | SUSE-SU-2018:0040-1 |
Oracle Linux
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Linux 7 | dtrace-modules-3.8.13-118.40.1.el6uek | 0.4.5-3.el6 | ELSA-2019-4854 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | dtrace-modules-3.8.13-118.40.1.el7uek | 0.4.5-3.el7 | ELSA-2019-4854 |
| Oracle Linux 7 | kernel-uek +5 | 3.8.13-118.40.1.el7uek | ELSA-2019-4854, ELSA-2019-4850 |
Advisories 8
- USN-3583-1 linux vulnerabilities Ubuntu Security Notices (USN) · Apr 22, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2017:3210-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2017:3265-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:0040-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2018:0180-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- SUSE-SU-2017:3249-1 Security update for the Linux Kernel SUSE / openSUSE Security Updates · Feb 4, 2026
- ELSA-2019-4854 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 20, 2019
- ELSA-2019-4850 Important: Unbreakable Enterprise kernel security update (Oracle Linux 7) Oracle Linux Security Advisories (ELSA) · Nov 20, 2019
References
- https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1505905
- USN-3583-2 vendor-advisory
- http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=2fae9e5a7babada041e2e161699ade2447a01989
- USN-3583-1 vendor-advisory
- http://seclists.org/oss-sec/2017/q4/238
- 101790 vdb-entry
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/2fae9e5a7babada041e2e161699ade2447a01989