net/dns_resolver/dns_key.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.38 allows remote DNS servers to cause a denial of service (NULL pointer dereference and OOPS) by not providing a valid response to a DNS query, as demonstrated by an erroneous grand.centrall.org query, which triggers improper handling of error data within a DNS resolver key.
Weakness
The product dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid but is NULL.
Affected Software
| Name | Vendor | Start Version | End Version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux_kernel | Linux | * | 2.6.38 (excluding) |
| Linux | Ubuntu | karmic | * |
| Linux | Ubuntu | natty | * |
| Linux | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-ec2 | Ubuntu | karmic | * |
| Linux-ec2 | Ubuntu | maverick | * |
| Linux-ec2 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-fsl-imx51 | Ubuntu | karmic | * |
| Linux-fsl-imx51 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-lts-backport-maverick | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-lts-backport-natty | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-mvl-dove | Ubuntu | karmic | * |
| Linux-mvl-dove | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-source-2.6.15 | Ubuntu | dapper | * |
| Linux-source-2.6.15 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
| Linux-ti-omap4 | Ubuntu | natty | * |
| Linux-ti-omap4 | Ubuntu | upstream | * |
Potential Mitigations
References
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=1362fa078dae16776cd439791c6605b224ea6171
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/03/04/13
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1025162
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.38
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=1362fa078dae16776cd439791c6605b224ea6171
- http://openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/03/04/13
- http://securitytracker.com/id?1025162
- http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.38