A vulnerability called the DirtyCOW has been disclosed for all Linux systems, but is especially problematic for multi-user systems, that allows attackers to locally gain escalated privileges for the affected system. Multi-user Linux systems should be prioritised for patching ahead of other systems such as application servers. DirtyCOW is a vulnerability in Linux’s copy-on-write (COW) mechanism that permits unprivileged overwriting of what should otherwise be privileged memory-mapped files.
Severity
High
CVE Number
This issue has been assigned CVE-2016-5195.
Recommended Action for Linux Machines
Please update to the latest patch from the following vendors:
- RedHat: https://access.redhat.com/security/cve/cve-2016-5195
- Debian: https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-5195
- Ubuntu: http://people.canonical.com/~ubuntu-security/cve/2016/CVE-2016-5195.html
- SUSE: https://www.suse.com/security/cve/CVE-2016-5195.html
More information
https://access.redhat.com/security/vulnerabilities/2706661
https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2016-5195
https://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2016/10/21/linux-kernel-bug-dirtycow-easyroot-hole-and-what-you-need-to-know/