A security researcher warns that a bug in Linux can give attackers unauthorized access to data. The vulnerability also affects Android smartphones.
Attackers can gain unauthorized access to the system through a bug in the kernel of the Linux operating system. Security researcher and developer Max Kellermann warns of this, like meT Magazine reports “heise online”. Consequently, the vulnerability affects servers, control devices and Android smartphones.
Kellermann discovered that the so-called dirty pipe error occurs when data is sent from different sources to a so-called pipe. Linux developers call a pipeline a process in which data moves through a communication channel.
Attackers could interfere with the system
Occasionally the kernel gets confused when processing requests, so the wrong data gets mixed up and sent to the end of the channel. In this way, users could gain access rights that they normally do not have. A system error is possible through this unauthorized access.
The problem affects all systems running Linux starting with version 5.8. This also includes Android smartphones that use the Linux kernel as a base. The kernel is the core of an operating system, serving as the interface between hardware and software.
New kernel versions available
There are now kernel versions that fix the bug discovered by Kellermann. Google has one too updates built into your Android kernel.
Hardware vendors and manufacturers must ensure that their vulnerable systems are up to date. For Android smartphone users, this means checking for a new OS version in settings if automatic updates are turned off. In some cases, this can take a while, because some mobile operators release their own versions of Android for their devices.
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