CVE-2012-1090 on Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (precise) - low.
Description:
The cifs_lookup function in fs/cifs/dir.c in the Linux kernel before 3.2.10 allows local users to cause a denial of service (OOPS) via attempted access to a special file, as demonstrated by a FIFO. The cifs_lookup function in fs/cifs/dir.c in the Linux kernel before 3.2.10 allows local users to cause a denial of service (OOPS) via attempted access to a special file, as demonstrated by a FIFO. "The cifs code will attempt to open files on lookup under certain circumstances. What happens though if we find that the file we opened was actually a FIFO or other special file? Currently, the open filehandle just ends up being leaked leading to a dentry refcount mismatch and oops on umount." A flaw was discovered in the Linux kernel's cifs file system. An unprivileged local user could exploit this flaw to crash the system leading to a denial of service.