CVE-2011-4080
The sysrq_sysctl_handler function in kernel/sysctl.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.39 does not require the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability to modify the dmesg_restrict value, which allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions and read the kernel ring buffer by leveraging root privileges, as demonstrated by a root user in a Linux Containers (aka LXC) environment.
Key facts
- CVSS score
- 4.0 (v2.0)
- Severity
- MEDIUM
- CVSS vector
AV:L/AC:H/Au:N/C:C/I:N/A:N- Weakness (CWE)
- CWE-264
- EPSS score
- 0.3% (29th percentile)
- In CISA KEV
- No
- In EU EUVD
- Yes (EUVD-2011-4031)
- Published
- May 24, 2012
- NVD last modified
- June 16, 2026
- Status
- Modified
EU Vulnerability Database (EUVD)
This vulnerability is also tracked by ENISA as EUVD-2011-4031 in the EU Vulnerability Database. Last updated in EUVD on August 6, 2024.
View on the EU Vulnerability DatabaseAffected products
- linux / linux kernel
References
- http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/linux/kernel/v2.6/ChangeLog-2.6.39(Broken Link)
- http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commit%3Bh=bfdc0b497faa82a0ba2f9dddcf109231dd519fcc
- http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2011/10/26/10(Mailing List, Third Party Advisory)
- https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/bfdc0b497faa82a0ba2f9dddcf109231dd519fcc(Patch, Third Party Advisory)
Last updated September 17, 2026 · Source: NVD, CISA KEV, FIRST.org EPSS
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