Almost 40% of Ubuntu users vulnerable to new privilege elevation flaws
Two Linux vulnerabilities introduced recently into the Ubuntu kernel create the potential for unprivileged local users to gain elevated privileges on a massive number of devices. Ubuntu is one of the most widely used Linux distributions, especially popular in the U.S., having an approximate user base of over 40 million. Two recent flaws tracked as CVE-2023-32629 and CVE-2023-2640 discovered by Wiz's researchers S. Tzadik and S. Tamari were recently introduced into the operating system, impacting roughly 40% of Ubuntu's userbase. CVE-2023-2640 is a high-severity (CVSS v3 score: 7.8) vulnerability in the Ubuntu Linux kernel caused by inadequate permission checks allowing a local attacker to gain elevated privileges. CVE-2023-32629 is a medium-severity (CVSS v3 score: 5.4) flaw in the Linux kernel memory management subsystem, where a race condition when accessing VMAs may lead to use-after-free, allowing a local attacker to perform arbitrary code execution. The