Dirty Frag is a new Linux bug putting your system at risk - and there's no easy fix yet

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Linux has been having a rough few weeks. First, the Copy Fail security hole was uncovered by AI researchers. In that case, the patches were quickly made and distributed. We weren't so lucky with the newly disclosed Linux kernel flaw, dubbed Dirty Frag, which was also, it seems, discovered with AI's help, but patches are still in the works. Also: Linux is getting a security wake-up call - why it was inevitable and I'm not worried Security researcher Hyunwoo Kim, who disclosed the issue on May 7, describes Dirty Frag as an extension of the same bug class as previous high-profile Linux kernel flaws, 2022's Dirty Pipe and Copy Fail. Like those flaws, Dirty Frag exploits kernel code paths that write to memory pages accessible to unprivileged user space, but it targets a different structure: the fragment field of sk_buff networking buffers. Also: Immutable Linux delivers serious security - here are your 5 best options Kim told the Linux kernel maintainers about the vulnerability at the end of April. Unfortunately, the coordinated disclosure and patch processes quickly went off the rails. On May 7, while distributions were still shipping fixes for the related Copy Fail flaw, detailed Dirty Frag technical information and a working proof-of-concept exploit for the xfrm-ESP component appeared online after an embargo break by an unrelated third party. Now, we're all in trouble. Dirty Frag is a local privilege escalation vulnerability...