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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2004-1151

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2005-01-10
Mitigation only
No fix yet — a mitigation exists. There is no fixed release. A documented workaround reduces exposure in the meantime.
See remediation →
77/100
Remediation priority · High
No privileges Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
Multiple buffer overflows in the (1) sys32_ni_syscall and (2) sys32_vm86_warning functions in sys_ia32.c for Linux 2.6.x may allow local attackers to modify kernel memory and gain privileges.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · high confidence

Buffer overflows in the sys32_ni_syscall and sys32_vm86_warning functions within Linux 2.6.x's 32-bit syscall compatibility layer (sys_ia32.c) allow local attackers to overwrite kernel memory and escalate privileges. This vulnerability exists in the IA32 compatibility subsystem used when running 32-bit applications on 64-bit Linux kernels.

MitigationApply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a patched kernel version; alternatively, disable IA32 compatibility support (CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION) in the kernel configuration if 32-bit binary support is not required.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:= 2.6.0= 2.6.1= 2.6.2= 2.6.3= 2.6.4= 2.6.5= 2.6.6= 2.6.7= 2.6.8= 2.6.9= 2.6.10= 2.6_test9_cvs
Ubuntu LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.1

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
Low
Authentication
None
Confidentiality
Complete
Integrity
Complete
Availability
Complete

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version
    Run 'uname -r' to retrieve the running kernel version
    Affected if The version begins with 2.6.0 through 2.6.10, or matches 2.6_test9_cvs
  2. Confirm IA32 emulation support is enabled
    Check if the kernel configuration includes CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION=y, or inspect /boot/config-$(uname -r) for the CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION setting
    Affected if CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION is set to y or is built as a loadable module (m) while the module is loaded
  3. Verify 32-bit application compatibility layer is active
    Check for the presence of /lib32 or /usr/lib32 directories, or attempt to run a 32-bit binary (file /bin/bash and check for ELF32)
    Affected if The system can execute 32-bit ELF binaries, indicating the IA32 compatibility layer is functional
  4. Identify the specific vulnerable functions
    Inspect the kernel source file arch/x86_64/ia32/ sys_ia32.c for the sys32_ni_syscall and sys32_vm86_warning functions (requires source access)
    Affected if The kernel source contains these functions without the upstream patches applied

The system is affected if it runs a Linux 2.6.x kernel from 2.6.0 to 2.6.10 with the IA32 emulation (CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION) feature enabled and actively used for 32-bit binary execution.

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

From vendor data
Mitigation available No clean upgrade yet — mitigate in the meantime
Mitigation

Apply the upstream kernel patch or upgrade to a patched kernel version; alternatively, disable IA32 compatibility support (CONFIG_IA32_EMULATION) in the kernel configuration if 32-bit binary support is not required.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation3.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing3.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
14.0 hours of engineering $2,490
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2004-1151 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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