Lpe via Refcount Imbalance in the Af_unix of Ubuntu's Kernel
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Linux Kernel
Security Vulnerability
Ubuntu
A security vulnerability in Ubuntu's kernel allows for local privilege escalation via refcount imbalance in af_Unix, highlighting the importance of kernel security and timely patching.
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> Ubuntu 24.04’s kernel, which is based on (on 6.8.12), uses the old GC algorithm. Thus, the change to unix_gc does not apply (the upstream patch is for the new GC algorithm).
> But somehow Ubuntu still went with it and applied the change
This vulnerability was a direct consequence of the "just backport important-looking patches" mindset. Just using the latest stable upstream kernel instead would avoid this entire class of vulnerabilities.