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Full vulnerability report · 2013
CVE-2013-2094High confidence

Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability

Linux · Kernel

8.4HighCVSS 3.1
Recommended action
Patch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-10-06 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
R
Operational reassessment

Published severity in operational context

Open reassessment dashboard →
Published severityHighOperational priority:Critical, raised one band.upgradedsince 15 Sep 2022

Evidence used

  • CISA confirms exploitation in the wild.
  • A structured source references public exploit or proof-of-concept material.
  • EPSS is 47.71% for the current model date.

Compensating controls

  • Validate the affected product branch and deploy the verified fixed release.
  • Restrict local access and enforce least privilege on affected hosts.
  • Increase monitoring for the attack path and post-exploitation behaviour described in the report.

Verification

  1. Confirm that the asset runs Linux Kernel and falls inside the recorded affected range.
  2. Verify the installed build against the product-specific fixed version after deployment.
  3. Validate exposure, authentication requirements and compensating controls in the actual environment.
  4. Reopen this reassessment when CVSS, KEV, EPSS, exploit evidence or remediation changes.
Mitigation target: Within 3 daysRemediation target: Within 90 days

This automated reassessment organises public evidence. It does not know asset exposure, business impact or control effectiveness and does not replace CVSS or a human risk decision.

Distribution package intelligence

Release-specific package status

Debian findings are scoped to the named distribution, release and source package. An absent finding does not mean a package is unaffected.

4 package states
Repository candidate not checked

A published vendor fix does not prove that a matching update is enabled and installable on a particular asset. Confirm the local package candidate before scheduling remediation.

Distribution releaseSource packageVendor stateFixed versionEvidence
Debian trixietrixie · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.8.11-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 7 Oct 2026
Debian bookwormbookworm · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.8.11-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 7 Oct 2026
Debian forkyforky · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.8.11-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 7 Oct 2026
Debian sidsid · sourcelinuxVendor fix publishedDebian records a fixed source-package version for this release.3.8.11-1Debian Security Tracker ↗Source updated 7 Oct 2026
Optional official sources

National CERT insights
?CERT means Computer Emergency Response Team; CSIRT is the closely related term Computer Security Incident Response Team.

Choose official national sources for this report. Each advisory shows its original language. Your selection is remembered on this device and included in shared links.

Official European source

ENISA European Vulnerability Database

Official EUVD identifiers, advisory evidence and known-exploited context. Missing fields are not treated as evidence of low risk.

1 current
ENISA EUVD identifier

EUVD-2013-2068

CISA KEV mirrored by ENISA

The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9 uses an incorrect integer data type, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted perf_event_open system call.

EUVD state
Present in the current official mapping
Known exploitation
Recorded by ENISA since 15 Sep 2022. Evidence sources: cisa_kev.
ENISA score
8.4 · CVSS 3.1
Advisory evidence
9 linked advisory records
Explicit mitigation evidence

Only statements that explicitly mention a fix, patch, update, workaround or mitigation are shown here.

  • csaf_redhat · RHSA-2013:0829Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel-rt security and bug fix update
  • csaf_suse · SUSE-SU-2015:0736-1Security update for Linux kernel
  • csaf_redhat · RHSA-2013:0832Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update
  • csaf_redhat · RHSA-2013:0840Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update
  • csaf_suse · SUSE-SU-2015:1376-1Security update for Linux kernel
  • csaf_suse · SUSE-SU-2015:0481-1Security update for Linux kernel
  • csaf_redhat · RHSA-2013:0841Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update
  • csaf_redhat · RHSA-2013:0830Red Hat Security Advisory: kernel security update
Recommended actionPatch now

CISA confirms exploitation in the wild and lists 2022-10-06 as the remediation due date.

Patch available
01

What, why and how

Linux kernel fails to check all 64 bits of attr.config passed by user space, resulting to out-of-bounds access of the perf_swevent_enabled array in sw_perf_event_destroy(). Explotation allows for privilege escalation.

What

Linux kernel fails to check all 64 bits of attr.config passed by user space, resulting to out-of-bounds access of the perf_swevent_enabled array in sw_perf_event_destroy(). Explotation allows for privilege escalation.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.

What

Linux kernel fails to check all 64 bits of attr.config passed by user space, resulting to out-of-bounds access of the perf_swevent_enabled array in sw_perf_event_destroy(). Explotation allows for privilege escalation.

Why

The current structured CVE record identifies a security weakness, but the root cause requires confirmation in the linked vendor material.

How

An attacker operating through local access may attempt exploitation without authentication or user interaction. If successful, the issue may gain additional privileges.

02

Exploit reality and attack path

CVSS severity, EPSS forecast probability, public exploit material and CISA-confirmed exploitation are separate signals.

Observed exploitation
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Confirmed in the wild

CISA added this CVE to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalogue on 2022-09-15.

Public PoC / exploit material
?Confirmed exploitation and public exploit material are separate signals. Attacks can occur without public proof-of-concept or exploit code.
Reference recorded

A structured CVE source labels at least one public reference as exploit material. BlackTree has not independently validated that it is safe, reliable or weaponised.

Likely attack path
local access → vulnerable operation → gain additional privileges
Attack surface
Local
Privileges required
None: unauthenticated exploitation is possible
User interaction
None
Attack complexity
Low: no specialised conditions are recorded
Security boundary
Unchanged: impact remains within the vulnerable component's security authority
Weakness
?CWE means Common Weakness Enumeration: a standard category for the underlying weakness.
CWE-189 ↗

CWE-189. Open the MITRE definition for the exact weakness description.

CVSS vector
?CVSS means Common Vulnerability Scoring System. The vector records the metric values used to calculate technical severity.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Common Vulnerability Scoring System 3.1: the compact vector below is decoded into plain language.

AVLocalAttack vector: The attacker needs local access to the vulnerable system.ACLowAttack complexity: No specialised conditions are required beyond attacker-controlled input.PRNonePrivileges required: The attacker does not need an account or existing privileges.UINoneUser interaction: No action by another user is required.SUnchangedScope: The security impact remains within the vulnerable component's authority.CHighConfidentiality impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.IHighIntegrity impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.AHighAvailability impact: A successful attack can cause a major loss.
Post-exploitation / living off the land
The issue can support a local privilege or sandbox boundary transition; normal system utilities may then be available in the gained context.
UnauthenticatedPrivilege escalationCWE-189CISA KEVPublic exploit reference
A

Official authority intelligence

Only matched European and national findings are included. Language selectors and unavailable sources are omitted.

ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2013-2068Known-exploited evidence recorded

The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9 uses an incorrect integer data type, which allows local users to gain privileges via a crafted perf_event_open system call.

Official EUVD record ↗
03

Patch and workaround

Operational remediation based on structured source evidence.

Status
?Patch availability is based on structured fixed-version fields and authoritative update references. If no fix is verified, check the vendor advisory before making a change.
Patch available
Affected
n/a
Fixed
An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
Action
Review the linked authoritative reference and apply the recorded fixed release appropriate to the affected product branch.
Workaround
No verified workaround is recorded. Limit untrusted access and use least privilege until authoritative guidance is available.
04

Evidence and provenance

Published 14 May 2013 · Last source change 22 Oct 2025, 00:05 UTC · CWE-189

CVE recordCVE.org · 5.1
CVSS sourceCISA ADP
EPSS source
?The date BlackTree first stored a score for this CVE from the daily FIRST EPSS feed.
FIRST · tracked since 2026-09-13
European sourceENISA EUVD · EUVD-2013-2068
Product sourceCISA KEV
Remediation sourceCVE/CNA references
CWE sourceNIST NVD
NVD statusNVD enriched

Core structured fields are present and their contributing authorities are shown above.

Material change intelligence

What changed after publication

View recent updates ↗
  1. ENISA known-exploited stateENISA EUVD now records this CVE in its known-exploited dataset.
    Before
    not listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset
    After
    listed in ENISA EUVD known-exploited dataset (EUVD-2013-2068)
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  2. ENISA EUVD mappingEUVD-2013-2068 was added to the official ENISA EUVD mapping for this CVE.
    Before
    not recorded
    After
    {"euvdId":"EUVD-2013-2068"}
    ENISA EUVD ↗
  3. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    n/a: n/a · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    After
    n/a · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CISA KEV ↗
  4. Vendor guidanceAuthoritative vendor guidance changed: added patch: twitter.com/334301992648331267; added remediation: twitter.com/334301992648331267; removed vendor advisory: lists.opensuse.org/msg00005.html; removed vendor advisory: lists.opensuse.org/msg00008.html; 11 further removals.
    Before
    vendor advisory: lists.opensuse.org/msg00005.html · vendor advisory: lists.opensuse.org/msg00008.html · vendor advisory: lists.opensuse.org/msg00009.html · 10 more references
    After
    patch: twitter.com/334301992648331267 · remediation: twitter.com/334301992648331267
    twitter.com ↗
  5. Affected versionsThe structured affected or fixed version information changed.
    Before
    n/a: n/a · Fixed: No fixed version is explicitly recorded in the structured CVE data.
    After
    n/a: n/a · Fixed: An authoritative update reference is available, but the fixed version is not recorded in the structured CVE fields. Check the linked vendor advisory for the applicable release.
    CNA ↗
  6. Remediation statusRemediation status changed from Awaiting fix to Patch available.
    Before
    Awaiting fix
    After
    Patch available
    twitter.com ↗
  7. Public exploit evidencePublic exploit evidence changed from Public exploit reference to Public exploit reference.
    Before
    Public exploit reference
    After
    Public exploit reference
    packetstormsecurity.com ↗
  8. Catalogue recordCVE added to the BlackTree catalogue.
    CNA ↗
Material fields only · duplicate refreshes suppressed · history retained for the configured operational retention period
CVE published
Added to CISA KEV
Fixed release or patch reference recorded
ENISA EUVD · EUVD-2013-2068↗CISA KEV record↗Patch or update reference↗CVE authority or vendor reference↗Public exploit reference↗Official CVE record (CNA and ADP data)↗NVD record↗
Technical terms and abbreviations used in this report
CVE
Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures: the public identifier for one disclosed vulnerability.
CVSS
Common Vulnerability Scoring System: a technical severity framework; it is not patching priority by itself.
EPSS
Exploit Prediction Scoring System: FIRST's estimate of the probability that exploitation activity will be observed in the next 30 days; it is a forecast, not confirmation.
CWE
Common Weakness Enumeration: the standard category describing the underlying software or hardware weakness.
CNA
CVE Numbering Authority: an organisation authorised to assign and publish CVE records.
CISA ADP
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Authorized Data Publisher: structured enrichment added to a CVE record.
NVD
National Vulnerability Database: NIST's enrichment service for CVE records.
CERT / CSIRT
A computer security incident response team that publishes warnings or coordinates incident response.
PoC
Proof of concept: public material that demonstrates or helps reproduce exploitation.
CSAF
Common Security Advisory Framework: a machine-readable format for security advisories.
LoTL
Living off the land: abuse of legitimate tools or system functions during an attack.
Free version - for non-commercial use only.CVE-2013-2094 · cve.blacktree.nl