CVE-2018-1121 Explained : Impact and Mitigation

CVE-2018-1121 is a vulnerability in procps-ng and procps that allows a process to be hidden through a race condition, potentially affecting versions up to procps-ng 3.3.15 and newer.

Understanding CVE-2018-1121

What is CVE-2018-1121?

The vulnerability in procps-ng and procps enables a process with a high PID to hide by exploiting a race condition, avoiding detection by inotify events.

The Impact of CVE-2018-1121

This vulnerability can be exploited by attackers with unprivileged access, allowing them to conceal a process from procps-ng's utilities.

Technical Details of CVE-2018-1121

Vulnerability Description

The flaw in procps-ng and procps allows a process to hide by forking/executing to obtain a lower PID during the scanning of PID entries.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: procps-ng, procps
Vendor: [UNKNOWN]
Versions affected: up to procps-ng 3.3.15 and newer

Exploitation Mechanism

Attack Complexity: Low
Attack Vector: Local
Privileges Required: Low
User Interaction: Required
Scope: Unchanged
Impact: Low

Mitigation and Prevention

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply security patches provided by the vendor
Monitor processes for any unusual behavior

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch software to prevent vulnerabilities
Implement least privilege access controls

Patching and Updates

Check for security advisories from the vendor
Keep systems up to date with the latest patches