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CVE-2016-0728 is a local privilege-escalation vulnerability in the Linux kernel keyring subsystem affecting kernels before 4.4.1. The flaw is in the join_session_keyring function in security/keys/process_keys.c, which mishandles object references in a specific error path. This reference-counting bug can trigger an integer overflow and subsequent use-after-free condition when a local user issues crafted keyctl commands. By corrupting keyring object lifetime management, an attacker can cause the kernel to operate on freed memory, leading to privilege escalation or system instability.
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1 valid exploit after Mallory filtered fakes, detection scripts, and README-only repos (2 hidden).
This repository contains a single exploit implementation for CVE-2016-0728, a local privilege escalation vulnerability in the Linux kernel keyring facility. The main file, 'cve_2016_0728.c', is a C program that exploits a reference count overflow in the keyring subsystem to execute arbitrary code in kernel space. The exploit works by manipulating keyring objects and message queues to overwrite kernel structures, ultimately calling commit_creds(prepare_kernel_cred(0)) to grant root privileges to the current process. Upon success, it spawns a root shell (/bin/sh). The exploit requires local access to the target system and a vulnerable kernel version. The repository is minimal, containing only the exploit code, a README, a license, and a .gitignore file. No network endpoints or remote attack vectors are present; the exploit is strictly local.
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3 sources tracked across advisories, community write-ups, and news. New activity surfaces here as Mallory finds it.
A Linux vulnerability mentioned as a cautionary example to illustrate real-world risk on Linux platforms; the article does not provide technical details beyond that.
A Linux kernel vulnerability mentioned as a cautionary example to illustrate Linux platform risk exposure.
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