// For flags

CVE-2023-2640

Canonical Ubuntu OverlayFS File System Missing Authorization Local Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Severity Score

7.8
*CVSS v3.1

Exploit Likelihood

*EPSS

Affected Versions

*CPE

Public Exploits

11
*Multiple Sources

Exploited in Wild

-
*KEV

Decision

Track*
*SSVC
Descriptions

On Ubuntu kernels carrying both c914c0e27eb0 and "UBUNTU: SAUCE: overlayfs: Skip permission checking for trusted.overlayfs.* xattrs", an unprivileged user may set privileged extended attributes on the mounted files, leading them to be set on the upper files without the appropriate security checks.

This vulnerability allows local attackers to escalate privileges on affected installations of Canonical Ubuntu. An attacker must first obtain the ability to execute low-privileged code on the target system in order to exploit this vulnerability.
The specific flaw exists within the handling of attributes. The issue results from missing authorization before allowing access to functionality. An attacker can leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges and execute arbitrary code in the context of root.

Stonejiajia, Shir Tamari and Sagi Tzadik discovered that the OverlayFS implementation in the Ubuntu Linux kernel did not properly perform permission checks in certain situations. A local attacker could possibly use this to gain elevated privileges. It was discovered that the IP-VLAN network driver for the Linux kernel did not properly initialize memory in some situations, leading to an out-of- bounds write vulnerability. An attacker could use this to cause a denial of service or possibly execute arbitrary code.

*Credits: Stonejiajia, Shir Tamari, Sagi Tzadik
CVSS Scores
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Authentication
Single
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete
* Common Vulnerability Scoring System
SSVC
  • Decision:Track*
Exploitation
None
Automatable
No
Tech. Impact
Total
* Organization's Worst-case Scenario
Timeline
  • 2023-05-10 CVE Reserved
  • 2023-07-26 CVE Published
  • 2023-10-09 First Exploit
  • 2024-10-23 CVE Updated
  • 2025-03-30 EPSS Updated
  • ---------- Exploited in Wild
  • ---------- KEV Due Date
CWE
  • CWE-863: Incorrect Authorization
CAPEC
Affected Vendors, Products, and Versions
Vendor Product Version Other Status
Vendor Product Version Other Status <-- --> Vendor Product Version Other Status
Canonical
Search vendor "Canonical"
Ubuntu Linux
Search vendor "Canonical" for product "Ubuntu Linux"
23.04
Search vendor "Canonical" for product "Ubuntu Linux" and version "23.04"
-
Affected