Vulnerability in Linux Kernel

CVE-2020-12656

gss_mech_free in net/sunrpc/auth_gss/gss_mech_switch.c in the rpcsec_gss_krb5 implementation in the Linux kernel through 5.6.10 lacks certain domain_release calls, leading to a memory leak. Note: This was disputed with the assertion that the issue does not grant any access not already available. It is a problem that on unloading a specific kernel module some memory is leaked, but loading kernel modules is a privileged operation. A user could also write a kernel module to consume any amount of memory they like and load that replicating the effect of this bug

EPSS: 0.003 (25.9th percentile) — read the EPSS interpretation.

CVSS v3 metric

CVSS v3 base score 5.5 (Medium). Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H.

Affected products

Weakness classification (CWE)

Public proof-of-concept exploits

References

  • cve@mitre.org (x_refsource_MISC, Issue Tracking, Vendor Advisory)
  • cve@mitre.org (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_SUSE)
  • cve@mitre.org (vendor-advisory, Mailing List, Third Party Advisory, x_refsource_SUSE)
  • cve@mitre.org (x_refsource_UBUNTU, vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory)
  • cve@mitre.org (x_refsource_UBUNTU, vendor-advisory, Third Party Advisory)

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2020-12656?
CVE-2020-12656 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux Kernel, classified under Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime. CVSS score: 5.5/10. Published 2020-05-05.
How severe is CVE-2020-12656?
Medium severity. CVSS v3 base score is 5.5 out of 10.
Is CVE-2020-12656 known to be exploited?
1 public proof-of-concept repositories are indexed. Not currently listed in the CISA KEV catalog.