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3.7

SystemTap staprun may allow local users to become admin

CVE-2011-2503 · published 14 years ago
Summary

The part of SystemTap that runs scripts (staprun) does not check a module carefully before it is loaded. Because the check and the loading happen at slightly different times, a person who already has access to the machine could exploit this gap to give themselves higher system privileges. Upgrade SystemTap to version 1.6 or later, or apply the provided security patch, and limit local user access to the tool.

What to do
  • Update debian systemtap to version 1.6-1.
Affected software
Ecosystem VendorProductAffected versions
Debian:12 debian systemtap < 1.6-1
Fix: upgrade to 1.6-1
Debian:13 debian systemtap < 1.6-1
Fix: upgrade to 1.6-1
Debian:14 debian systemtap < 1.6-1
Fix: upgrade to 1.6-1
– systemtap systemtap <= 1.5
0.2.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.5.3
0.5.4
0.5.5
0.5.7
0.5.8
0.5.9
0.5.10
18 more version ranges
cpe:2.3:a:systemtap:systemtap:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Original advisory text
The insert_module function in runtime/staprun/staprun_funcs.c in the systemtap runtime tool (staprun) in SystemTap before 1.6 does not properly validate a module when loading it, which allows local...
The insert_module function in runtime/staprun/staprun_funcs.c in the systemtap runtime tool (staprun) in SystemTap before 1.6 does not properly validate a module when loading it, which allows local users to gain privileges via a race condition between the signature validation and the module initialization.
References
Severity
3.7 Low
Exploitation
<1% chance of attack within 30 days
Type
CWE-20Improper Input Validation
Timeline
Published26 Jul 2012
Updated4 Nov 2026
First seen11 Sep 2026
Sources
DEBIAN-CVE-2011-2503 · OSV
CVE-2011-2503 · NVD
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