Local Root Exploit in Udev
The udev subsystem allows the Linux kernel, together with a userland program, to manage device nodes dynamically, adding and removing them at will. It has now been revealed that the communication channel between the kernel and program fails to authenticate, so that users can assume root privileges.
The udev subsystem and the udevd daemon communicate in userspace over the netlink interface. Sending KOBJECT_UEVENT messages unfortunately doesn't verify who sent them. The result is that normal users can assume read privileges for a random device. If the device has a major and minor number of the root block device, invasive code can be applied to alter the system. A root exploit could then be quite simple for an attacker.
The root exploit was discovered by Sebastian Krahmer of the SUSE Security Team, which had become apprised of the CVE-2009-1185 spoofing exposure. The udev “trickery" exploit also points to another vulnerability in the CVE-2009-1186 stack buffer overflow exposure. Unfortunately, MITRE has not released further details on these vulnerabilities. All larger Linux distros have openly declared to be affected by them, so the distros are now providing updated packages.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.