Kernel flaw makes Linux crash easy

[Nomad559]

http://pcworld.co.nz/news.nsf/0/F860AFD93D5D454DCC256EB4006968DC?OpenDocument

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A flaw in the Linux kernel allows a 20-line C program to crash most distributions using the 2.4 and 2.6 kernels running on x86 and x86-64 architectures, according to security researchers.

The problem means that anyone with an ordinary user account on a Linux machine can crash the entire server, according to Øyvind Sæther, who discovered the bug along with Stian Skjelstad. Administrator access is not required.

"This exploit has been reportedly used to take down several lame free-shell providers' servers."

Recently Linux vendors were forced to distribute patches for a critical flaw in CVS, a widely used program for collaborating on software development, that could have allowed a malicious user unauthorised access to development code.

Following the discovery of this bug, researchers decided to have a closer look at the CVS source code and discovered at least six more flaws, including one that could allow an attacker to take control of CVS from the Internet. The new flaws were announced publicly last Wednesday and several distributors have now released fixes.