[PRE-SA-2011-04] Heap overflow in EFI partition handling code of the Linux kernel

[Timo Warns <warns () pre-sense de>]

PRE-CERT Security Advisory
==========================

* Advisory: PRE-SA-2011-04
* Released on: 10 May 2011
* Last updated on: 10 May 2011
* Affected product: Linux Kernel 2.4 and 2.6
* Impact: information disclosure, denial-of-service
* Origin: storage devices
* Credit: Timo Warns (PRESENSE Technologies GmbH)
* CVE Identifier: CVE-2011-1776


Summary
-------

The Linux kernel contains a vulnerability that may lead to
an information disclosure or a denial-of-service due to corrupted
partition tables on storage devices.

The kernel automatically evaluates partition tables of storage devices.
The code for evaluating EFI GUID partition tables contains a buffer
overflow bug that allows to leak data from the kernel heap to userspace
or that may allow to cause a kernel oops resulting in a denial of
service.


Workaround
----------

Compile and use a kernel that does not evaluate EFI GUID partition
tables. The corresponding configuration key is CONFIG_EFI_PARTITION.


Solution
--------

A patch is available at
http://git.kernel.org/linus/fa039d5f6b126fbd65eefa05db2f67e44df8f121


References
----------

https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=703026

When further information becomes available, this advisory will be
updated. The most recent version of this advisory is available at:

http://www.pre-cert.de/advisories/PRE-SA-2011-04.txt


Contact
--------

PRE-CERT can be reached under precert () pre-secure de. For PGP key
information, refer to http://www.pre-cert.de/.

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