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.
This vulnerability carries a HIGH severity rating with a CVSS v3.1 score of 7.8, requiring local system access to exploit with relatively low complexity without requiring user interaction requiring only low-level privileges . The vulnerability impacts confidentiality (data exposure), integrity (unauthorized modifications), and availability (service disruption) for affected systems. Impacting 25 products from linux, from debian, from fedoraproject and 22 others, organizations running these solutions should prioritize assessment and patching.
First disclosed in 2019, this vulnerability was reported during a period defined by widespread IoT adoption challenges, mobile security concerns, and the emergence of advanced persistent threat (APT) techniques. Contemporary mitigation strategies focused on secure development practices and third-party component vetting.
2019-07-17T13:15:10.687
2025-11-06T16:51:07.910
Analyzed
CVSSv3.1: 7.8 (HIGH)
AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C
3.9
10.0
| Type | Vendor | Product | Version/Range | Vulnerable? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 3.16.71 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.2 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.4.185 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.9 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.9.185 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.14.133 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 4.19.58 | Yes |
| Operating System | linux | linux_kernel | < 5.1.17 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 8.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 9.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | debian | debian_linux | 10.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | fedoraproject | fedora | 29 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 16.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 18.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | canonical | ubuntu_linux | 19.04 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux | 7.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux | 8.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_arm_64 | 7.0_aarch64 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_ibm_z_systems | 7.0_s390x | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time | 8 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv | 8.0 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv_tus | 8.2 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv_tus | 8.4 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv_tus | 8.6 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_for_nfv_tus | 8.8 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_tus | 8.2 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_tus | 8.4 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_tus | 8.6 | Yes |
| Operating System | redhat | enterprise_linux_for_real_time_tus | 8.8 | Yes |
| Operating System | netapp | aff_a700s_firmware | - | Yes |
| Hardware | netapp | aff_a700s | - | No |
| Operating System | netapp | h410c_firmware | - | Yes |
| Hardware | netapp | h410c | - | No |
| Operating System | netapp | h610s_firmware | - | Yes |
| Hardware | netapp | h610s | - | No |
| Application | netapp | active_iq_unified_manager | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | e-series_performance_analyzer | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | e-series_santricity_os_controller | ≤ 11.60.3 | Yes |
| Application | netapp | hci_management_node | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | service_processor | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | solidfire | - | Yes |
| Application | netapp | steelstore_cloud_integrated_storage | - | Yes |
| Hardware | netapp | hci_compute_node | - | Yes |
SecUtils normalizes and enriches National Vulnerability Database (NVD) records by standardizing vendor and product identifiers, aggregating vulnerability metadata from both NVD and MITRE sources, and providing structured context for security teams. For linux's affected products, we extract Common Platform Enumeration (CPE) data, Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) classifications, CVSS severity metrics, and reference data to enable rapid vulnerability prioritization and asset correlation. This record contains no exploit code, proof-of-concept instructions, or attack methodologies—only defensive intelligence necessary for patch management, risk assessment, and security operations.