The inotify_read function in the Linux kernel 2.6.27 to 2.6.27.13, 2.6.28 to 2.6.28.2, and 2.6.29-rc3 allows local users to cause a denial of service (OOPS) via a read with an invalid address to an inotify instance, which causes the devices event list mutex to be unlocked twice and prevents proper synchronization of a data structure for the inotify instance.
The product does not properly acquire or release a lock on a resource, leading to unexpected resource state changes and behaviors.
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux_kernel | Linux | 2.6.27 (including) | 2.6.27.13 (including) |
| Linux_kernel | Linux | 2.6.28 (including) | 2.6.28.2 (including) |
| Linux_kernel | Linux | 2.6.29-rc3 (including) | 2.6.29-rc3 (including) |
| Linux | Ubuntu | intrepid | * |
| Linux | Ubuntu | jaunty | * |
| Linux | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-source-2.6.15 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-source-2.6.22 | Ubuntu | gutsy | * |
| Linux-source-2.6.22 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
Locking is a type of synchronization behavior that ensures that multiple independently-operating processes or threads do not interfere with each other when accessing the same resource. All processes/threads are expected to follow the same steps for locking. If these steps are not followed precisely - or if no locking is done at all - then another process/thread could modify the shared resource in a way that is not visible or predictable to the original process. This can lead to data or memory corruption, denial of service, etc.