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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2009-0029

HIGH · 7.2 CVSS v2.0 Published 2009-01-15
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.6.28 or later.
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
The ABI in the Linux kernel 2.6.28 and earlier on s390, powerpc, sparc64, and mips 64-bit platforms requires that a 32-bit argument in a 64-bit register was properly sign extended when sent from a user-mode application, but cannot verify this, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (crash) or possibly gain privileges via a crafted system call.

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

A sign extension vulnerability in the Linux kernel 2.6.28 and earlier on s390, powerpc, sparc64, and mips 64-bit platforms allows local users to cause a denial of service or potentially gain privileges via crafted system calls. The ABI requires 32-bit arguments in 64-bit registers to be properly sign extended when passed from user-mode applications, but the kernel cannot verify this proper sign extension, allowing maliciously crafted arguments to trigger the vulnerability.

MitigationUpgrade the Linux kernel to version 2.6.29 or later, which contains the fix for proper sign extension validation in the affected 64-bit architectures.

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:<= 2.6.28
Debian LinuxOperating system
Affected:= 4.0= 5.0

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 the running kernel version
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to determine the installed kernel version
    Affected if The kernel version is 2.6.28 or earlier
  2. Verify the system architecture
    Run `uname -m` or `arch` to identify the system architecture
    Affected if The architecture is s390, powerpc, sparc64, or mips 64-bit variants (such as mips64, mips64el)
  3. Check Debian system version if applicable
    Run `cat /etc/debian_version` or `lsb_release -a` on Debian systems
    Affected if The system is Debian 4.0 or Debian 5.0 with a kernel at version 2.6.28 or earlier

The system is affected if it runs a Linux kernel version 2.6.28 or earlier on a 64-bit s390, powerpc, sparc64, or mips architecture.

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
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 2.6.28
Interim mitigation

Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 2.6.29 or later, which contains the fix for proper sign extension validation in the affected 64-bit architectures.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing4.0 h
  • Review / QA2.0 h
12.0 hours of engineering $2,080
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $3,328.

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2009-0029 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
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data