Description
In the Linux kernel through 4.15.4, the floppy driver reveals the addresses of kernel functions and global variables using printk calls within the function show_floppy in drivers/block/floppy.c. An attacker can read this information from dmesg and use the addresses to find the locations of kernel code and data and bypass kernel security protections such as KASLR.
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 | 4.15.4-1 | — |
| Debian 13 | linux | 4.15.4-1 | — |
| Debian 12 | linux | 4.15.4-1 | — |
Ubuntu
Security tracker ↗| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu 18.04 LTS | linux-snapdragon | 4.15.0-1053.57 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-azure | 4.15.0-1013.13~16.04.2 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-gcp | 4.15.0-1014.14~16.04.1 | — |
| Ubuntu 16.04 LTS | linux-hwe | 4.15.0-24.26~16.04.1 | — |
Show 2 more (older releases, extended support, other products)Fewer releases
| Release | Package | Fixed in | Advisory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux | 4.4.0-222.255 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux-aws | 4.4.0-1138.152 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 16.04 LTS | linux-kvm | 4.4.0-1103.112 | — |
| Ubuntu Pro 14.04 LTS | linux +2 | No fix yet | — |
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 < 4.15.4 - 'show_floppy' KASLR Address Leak EDB-44325 · local · Mar 22, 2018
GitHub 1 repository
-
jedai47/CVE-2018-7273 ★ 0 · Apr 7, 2023
Sources: PoC-in-GitHub, Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB — updated daily. Only links are listed; no exploit code is hosted here.
References
- https://lkml.org/lkml/2018/2/20/669
- 44325 exploit
- 103088 vdb-entry