USN-2773-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Publication date

19 October 2015

Overview

Several security issues were fixed in the kernel.

Releases


Packages

Details

It was discovered that virtio networking in the Linux kernel did not handle
fragments correctly, leading to kernel memory corruption. A remote attacker
could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly
execute code with administrative privileges. (CVE-2015-5156)

It was discovered that the Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) implementation
in the Linux kernel did not verify sockets were properly bound before
attempting to send a message, which could cause a NULL pointer dereference.
An attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2015-6937)

It was discovered that virtio networking in the Linux kernel did not handle
fragments correctly, leading to kernel memory corruption. A remote attacker
could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash) or possibly
execute code with administrative privileges. (CVE-2015-5156)

It was discovered that the Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) implementation
in the Linux kernel did not verify sockets were properly bound before
attempting to send a message, which could cause a NULL pointer dereference.
An attacker could use this to cause a denial of service (system crash).
(CVE-2015-6937)

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. If you use linux-restricted-modules, you have to update that package as well to get modules which work with the new kernel version. Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages (e.g. linux-generic, linux-server, 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:


Reduce your security exposure

Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.


Have additional questions?

Talk to a member of the team ›