CVE-2019-15880 : What You Need to Know

A vulnerability in the cryptodev module of FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE before p5 could allow an unauthorized process to induce a kernel panic.

Understanding CVE-2019-15880

Before version r356911 of FreeBSD 12.1-STABLE and version p5 of FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE, a vulnerability was identified in the cryptodev module due to insufficient verification, potentially leading to a kernel panic.

What is CVE-2019-15880?

CVE-2019-15880 is a vulnerability in FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE before p5, allowing an unprivileged process to trigger a kernel panic by exploiting insufficient checking in the cryptodev module.

The Impact of CVE-2019-15880

The vulnerability could be abused by an unauthorized process to induce a kernel panic, potentially leading to a denial of service (DoS) condition on the affected system.

Technical Details of CVE-2019-15880

The technical details of the CVE-2019-15880 vulnerability are as follows:

Vulnerability Description

Insufficient verification in the cryptodev module allocated the size of a kernel buffer based on a user-supplied length, enabling an unprivileged process to trigger a kernel panic.

Affected Systems and Versions

Product: FreeBSD
Versions Affected: FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE before p5

Exploitation Mechanism

The vulnerability could be exploited by an unauthorized process to induce a kernel panic by manipulating the size of a kernel buffer.

Mitigation and Prevention

To mitigate the CVE-2019-15880 vulnerability, consider the following steps:

Immediate Steps to Take

Apply the necessary patches provided by FreeBSD to address the vulnerability.
Monitor security advisories for any updates or additional mitigation measures.

Long-Term Security Practices

Regularly update and patch the FreeBSD system to prevent known vulnerabilities.
Implement least privilege access controls to limit the impact of potential exploits.

Patching and Updates

Ensure timely installation of security patches and updates released by FreeBSD to address vulnerabilities like CVE-2019-15880.