Description
The sysrq_sysctl_handler function in kernel/sysctl.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.39 does not require the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability to modify the dmesg_restrict value, which allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions and read the kernel ring buffer by leveraging root privileges, as demonstrated by a root user in a Linux Containers (aka LXC) environment.
References (4)
Core 4
Core References
Patch, Third Party Advisory x_refsource_confirm
https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/bfdc0b497faa82a0ba2f9dddcf109231dd519fcc
Mailing List, Third Party Advisory mailing-list
x_refsource_mlist
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/10/26/10
Broken Link x_refsource_confirm
http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.39
Scores
EPSS
0.0035
EPSS Percentile
27.7%
Details
CWE
CWE-264
Status
published
Products (1)
linux/linux_kernel
< 2.6.39
Published
May 24, 2012
Tracked Since
Feb 18, 2026