ASLR Bypass Vulnerability in Linux Kernel's switch_to Function

CVE-2014-9419 · LOW Severity

AV:L/AC:L/AU:N/C:P/I:N/A:N

The __switch_to function in arch/x86/kernel/process_64.c in the Linux kernel through 3.18.1 does not ensure that Thread Local Storage (TLS) descriptors are loaded before proceeding with other steps, which makes it easier for local users to bypass the ASLR protection mechanism via a crafted application that reads a TLS base address.

Learn more about our Cis Benchmark Audit For Distribution Independent Linux.