CVE-2018-6552 : Vulnerability Insights and Analysis

Apport has a vulnerability where crashes from a PID namespace are mishandled, potentially leading to denial of service, privilege escalation, or container escape.

Understanding CVE-2018-6552

What is CVE-2018-6552?

Apport, a tool for reporting crashes in Ubuntu, incorrectly processes crashes from a PID namespace, allowing local users to exploit this flaw for malicious activities.

The Impact of CVE-2018-6552

This vulnerability enables attackers to exhaust resources, gain root privileges, or escape from containers by manipulating crash handling in the global namespace.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-6552

Vulnerability Description

The is_same_ns() function in Apport fails to handle crashes correctly from a PID namespace, leading to the misuse of container PIDs in the global namespace.

Affected Systems and Versions

Ubuntu 18.04: Versions 2.20.8-0ubuntu4 to 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.1
Ubuntu 16.04: Versions 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15 to 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.18
Ubuntu 17.10: Versions 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.7 to 2.20.7-0ubuntu3.9
Ubuntu 14.04: Version 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.28

Exploitation Mechanism

The flaw arises from the mishandling of crash data in the is_same_ns() function, causing the container PID to be incorrectly used in the global namespace.

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply patches provided by the vendor to address the vulnerability.
Monitor for any unusual activities that could indicate exploitation of the flaw.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement least privilege access to limit the impact of potential attacks.
Conduct security assessments and audits to identify and mitigate risks.

Patching and Updates

Ensure that all affected systems are updated with the latest patches from the vendor to mitigate the CVE-2018-6552 vulnerability.