Hello, Linux admins and IT pros,

A couple of rogue processes are loose in the kernel, and they've shaken up our worlds with a CVE Impact Score of a whopping 9.8. Indeed, they're a clear and present danger to our systems' security and stability.

As your vigilant Senior Editor at LinuxSecurity, I'm here to share the details of these exploits. Under the hood, these bugs are cunning enough to open gates for remote attackers to escalate their privileges, execute arbitrary code, or even launch DoS assaults. The resulting carnage? System unavailability, sensitive data leaks, or worst-case scenario - root access to the perpetrators. 

But here's the silver lining: We can kill these threats by patching promptly. Don't sit idly - patch, harden and secure!

Read on to learn about other significant vulnerabilities recently discovered and fixed in your open-source programs and applications.

We're here to help you with any questions or provide further guidance on upgrading your systems! Please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or reach out to us on X @lnxsec 

Give your friends the gift of security this holiday season! If you found today’s newsletter helpful and informative, please share it with a friend (or a few). 

Do you have a Linux security-related topic you'd like to cover for our audience? We welcome contributions from knowledgeable and enthusiastic community members who share our love for Linux!

Stay safe out there,

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Linux Kernel

The Discovery 

Have you updated to fix the critical Linux kernel vulnerabilities recently discovered? Both received a National Vulnerability Database base score of 9.8 out of 10 due to how simple they are for attackers to exploit and their severe threat to impacted systems. CVE-2023-45871 is a buffer overflow vulnerability due to improper validation of received frames larger than the set MTU size in the Intel(R) PCI-Express Gigabit (igb) Ethernet driver in the Linux kernel. CVE-2023-25775 exists because the InfiniBand RDMA driver in the Linux kernel does not properly check for zero-length STAG or MR registration. 

LinuxKernel

The Impact

These impactful bugs could enable a remote attacker to escalate privileges via network access and execute arbitrary code or carry out denial of service attacks, leading to loss of system access. In the worst-case scenario, these flaws could allow attackers to obtain sensitive data or even gain complete control of an impacted system or network.

The Fix

Distros continue to release crucial security advisory updates for the Linux kernel, addressing these critical flaws. Given these bugs’ severe threat to affected systems, if left unpatched, we urge all impacted users to update now if they have not done so already. Doing so will protect against inconvenience, costly downtime, and system compromise, so don’t delay!

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HAProxy

The Discovery 

It was discovered that the HAProxy load balancing reverse proxy incorrectly handled URI components containing the hash character (CVE-2023-45539). This vulnerability has received a National Vulnerability Database severity rating of “High” due to its significant confidentiality threat to impacted systems and how simple it is for attackers to exploit.

Haproxy

The Impact

A remote attacker could use this issue to obtain sensitive information or bypass specific path_end rules.

The Fix

An important HAProxy update has been released to mitigate this severe bug. Given this vulnerability's damaging repercussions on impacted systems, if left unpatched, we urge all affected users to update immediately to protect against data leakage.

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Thunderbird

The Discovery 

Have you updated to mitigate the severe vulnerabilities recently discovered in the widely used open-source Thunderbird email client? These flaws include memory safety bugs that could be exploited to run arbitrary code or access sensitive data (CVE-2023-5730, CVE-2023-5721, and CVE-2023-6212) and a use-after-free in ReadableByteStreams due to ownership mismanagement (CVE-2023-6207). These vulnerabilities have been classified by the National Vulnerability Database as “high-severity” due to their widespread impact and harmful repercussions on affected systems.

Thunderbird

The Impact

These flaws could result in denial of service attacks, leading to loss of system access or the execution of arbitrary code, potentially resulting in data theft or system hijacking.

The Fix

Distros continue to issue security advisory updates addressing these severe flaws. Given these vulnerabilities’ significant threat to affected systems, if left unpatched, we urge all impacted users to update promptly. Doing so will protect against data leakage, system compromise, and downtime due to an attack.

Your Related Advisories:

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