CVE-2017-17052

The mm_init function in kernel/fork.c in the Linux kernel before 4.12.10 does not clear the ->exe_file member of a new processs mm_struct, allowing a local attacker to achieve a use-after-free or possibly have unspecified other impact by running a specially crafted program.

Weakness

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory “belongs” to the code that operates on the new pointer.

Affected Software

Potential Mitigations

References

• http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=2b7e8665b4ff51c034c55df3cff76518d1a9ee3a
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102009
• https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/2b7e8665b4ff51c034c55df3cff76518d1a9ee3a
• https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.12.10
• http://git.kernel.org/cgit/linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux.git/commit/?id=2b7e8665b4ff51c034c55df3cff76518d1a9ee3a
• http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/102009
• https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/2b7e8665b4ff51c034c55df3cff76518d1a9ee3a
• https://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v4.x/ChangeLog-4.12.10