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CVE-2019-13272

KEVLinux Kernel Improper Privilege Management Vulnerability

Kernel/ptrace.c in Linux kernel mishandles contains an improper privilege management vulnerability that allows local users to obtain root access.

In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to create a ptrace relationship, which allows local users to obtain root access by leveraging certain scenarios with a parent-child process relationship, where a parent drops privileges and calls execve (potentially allowing control by an attacker). One contributing factor is an object lifetime issue (which can also cause a panic). Another contributing factor is incorrect marking of a ptrace relationship as privileged, which is exploitable through (for example) Polkit's pkexec helper with PTRACE_TRACEME. NOTE: SELinux deny_ptrace might be a usable workaround in some environments.

CVSS 3.1 vectorCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
PublishedJul 17, 2019
Last modifiedJun 17, 2026
Added to KEVDec 10, 2021
Remediation dueJun 10, 2022
    74
    Risk assessment · High

    Actively exploited. Patch immediately.

    Exploitation
    Confirmed in the wild (CISA KEV)
    Federal remediation deadline
    Overdue by 1599 days
    CVSS
    7.8 HIGH
    EPSS (30-day exploit probability)
    52.2% · top 1% of all CVEs
    Weakness
    NVD-CWE-noinfo
    1. 1.Apply updates per vendor instructions.
    2. 2.Treat as emergency change: patch or isolate internet-facing instances first.
    3. 3.Hunt for compromise: review logs for the disclosure window, not just from the patch date.

    Assessment is derived automatically from the live signals above; verify against your own asset inventory.