Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation Vulnerability (CVE-2021-3493)
Severity: high · Patch status: patched · Since 2022-10-20 · CVE-2021-3493
The overlayfs stacking file system in Linux kernel does not properly validate the application of file capabilities against user namespaces, which could lead to privilege escalation. CISA added CVE-2021-3493 to its Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog on Oct 20, 2022, which means attackers are exploiting it in the wild.
What to do
- Apply updates per vendor instructions.
- US federal agencies must remediate by Nov 10, 2022 (BOD 22-01); treat that as the outer limit.
Sources
All live incidents on Threat Watch
