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HIGH · CVSS 7.8 CISA Known Exploited Vulnerability

CVE-2019-13272

Linux Kernel Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Linux Kernel

In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scenarios with a parent-child process relationship, where a parent drops privileges and calls execve (potentially allowing control by an attacker). One contributing factor is an object lifetime issue (which can also cause a panic). Another contributing factor is incorrect marking of a ptrace relationship as privileged, which is exploitable through (for example) Polkit's pkexec helper with PTRACE_TRACEME. NOTE: SELinux deny_ptrace might be a usable workaround in some environments.

CVSS
7.8
HIGH
EPSS
52.2%
30-day exploitation
Ransomware groups
0
recorded exploiting
Published
17 Jul 2019
NVD

Exploitation status

CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities

Listed by CISA on 10 December 2021. US federal agencies were required to remediate it by 10 June 2022.

EPSS — exploitation probability

FIRST puts the probability of exploitation activity in the next 30 days at 52.2%, which is higher than 98.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. EPSS is a forecast of activity, not a measure of severity, and it is rescored daily.

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Frequently asked questions

Is CVE-2019-13272 being exploited by ransomware groups?

No ransomware group in this database is currently recorded as exploiting CVE-2019-13272.

What does CVE-2019-13272 affect?

CVE-2019-13272 affects Linux Kernel. In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scenarios with a parent-child process relationship, where a parent drops privileges and calls execve (potentially allowing control by an attacker). One contributing factor is an object lifetime issue (which can also cause a panic). Another contributing factor is incorrect marking of a ptrace relationship as privileged, which is exploitable through (for example) Polkit's pkexec helper with PTRACE_TRACEME. NOTE: SELinux deny_ptrace might be a usable workaround in some environments.

How severe is CVE-2019-13272?

CVE-2019-13272 is rated HIGH with a CVSS base score of 7.8. EPSS puts the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days at 52.2%, higher than 98.9% of all scored vulnerabilities. It is listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, with a federal remediation deadline of 10 June 2022.

How should organisations respond to CVE-2019-13272?

Apply the vendor patch for Linux Kernel as the first priority, and treat any internet-facing instance as the most urgent. Because this vulnerability is associated with ransomware activity, also review whether the affected systems were reachable before patching, rather than assuming that patching alone closes the incident.