Linux · Kernel
CVE-2017-1000253
Linux Kernel PIE Stack Buffer Corruption Vulnerability
What it is
Linux distributions that have not patched their long-term kernels with https://git.kernel.org/linus/a87938b2e246b81b4fb713edb371a9fa3c5c3c86 (committed on April 14, 2015). This kernel vulnerability was fixed in April 2015 by commit a87938b2e246b81b4fb713edb371a9fa3c5c3c86 (backported to Linux 3.10.77 in May 2015), but it was not recognized as a security threat. With CONFIG_ARCH_BINFMT_ELF_RANDOMIZE_PIE enabled, and a normal top-down address allocation strategy, load_elf_binary() will attempt to map a PIE binary into an address range immediately below mm->mmap_base. Unfortunately, load_elf_ binary() does not take account of the need to allocate sufficient space for the entire binary which means that, while the first PT_LOAD segment is mapped below mm->mmap_base, the subsequent PT_LOAD segment(s) end up being mapped above mm->mmap_base into the are that is supposed to be the "gap" between the stack and the binary.
CISA: Linux kernel contains a position-independent executable (PIE) stack buffer corruption vulnerability in load_elf_ binary() that allows a local attacker to escalate privileges.
What to do
Apply mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.
Deadline for US federal agencies: September 30, 2024
- Added to the CISA list
- September 9, 2024
- Published
- October 4, 2017
- Severity
- High 7.8 CVSS 3.1
- Chance of attacks in the next 30 days (EPSS)
- 11% in the top 4.2% of all known vulnerabilities
- Weakness
- CWE-119
- More details
- NVD · CVE.org · CISA
All references (13)
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2798
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2795
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2801
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2796
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2799
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2794
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2793
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2797
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2802
- https://access.redhat.com/errata/RHSA-2017:2800
- http://www.securitytracker.com/id/1039434
- http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/101010
- https://www.qualys.com/2017/09/26/cve-2017-1000253/cve-2017-1000253.txt
More exploited flaws from Linux
| Added | Vulnerability | Product | Severity | Attack chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 18, 2026 | Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions | Kernel | Critical 9.8 | 3.3% |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Race Condition | Kernel | High 7.8 | 1.6% |
| Sep 18, 2026 | Out-of-Bounds Write | Kernel | High 8.8 | 0.9% |
| Aug 27, 2026 | Unspecified | Kernel | High 7.8 | 0.7% |
| Aug 26, 2026 | Out-of-Bounds Write | Kernel | High 7.8 | 8.9% |
| Jun 2, 2026 | Improper Authentication | Kernel | High 7.8 | 5.5% |
| May 1, 2026 | Incorrect Resource Transfer Between Spheres | Kernel | High 7.8 | 98% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | Integer Overflow | Kernel | High 7.8 | 15% |
Sources: Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (CISA, public domain), CVE records (cve.org) and EPSS (FIRST). The chance of attacks is the EPSS estimate that someone will try to exploit the flaw in the next 30 days.