1. Ubuntu Security Notices
  2. USN-3548-1

USN-3548-1: Linux kernel vulnerability

Publication date

26 January 2018

Overview

The system could be made to crash or run programs as an administrator.

Releases

Packages

Details

Jay Vosburgh discovered a logic error in the x86-64 syscall entry
implementation in the Linux kernel, introduced as part of the
mitigations for the Spectre vulnerability. A local attacker could use
this to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code.

Jay Vosburgh discovered a logic error in the x86-64 syscall entry
implementation in the Linux kernel, introduced as part of the
mitigations for the Spectre vulnerability. A local attacker could use
this to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code.

Update instructions

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed. Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages (e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual, linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform this as well.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
17.10 artful linux-image-4.13.0-32-lowlatency –  4.13.0-32.35
linux-image-generic –  4.13.0.32.34
linux-image-4.13.0-32-generic –  4.13.0-32.35
linux-image-lowlatency –  4.13.0.32.34

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References

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