What is CVE-2009-3234?

CVE-2009-3234 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.9 out of 10, classified as a Buffer Overflow flaw (CWE-119). CVE-2009-3234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2009-3234?

CVE-2009-3234 has a CVSS score of 4.9 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2009-3234?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2009-3234. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2009-3234 actively exploited?

CVE-2009-3234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Buffer Overflow (CWE-119)?

The product performs operations on a memory buffer but reads or writes outside its intended boundaries. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/119.html

CVE-2009-3234

Medium

Buffer overflow in the perf_copy_attr function in kernel/perf_counter.c in the Linux kernel 2.6.31-rc1 allows local users to cause a denial of service (crash) and execute arbitrary code via a "big size data" to the perf_counter_open system call.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2009-09-17

Last modified 2026-04-23

CVSS version 2.0

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 2.0 score

4.9

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

User Interaction

Scope

Confidentiality

Low

Integrity

None

Availability

Vector string

AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C

Weakness type

CWE-119

CVE-2009-3234 is a Buffer Overflow vulnerability

What is Buffer Overflow?

The product performs operations on a memory buffer but reads or writes outside its intended boundaries. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2009-3234 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Article
http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel/890654

Exploit
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/16/1
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2009/09/17/13
Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/36423

Details

CVE ID CVE-2009-3234

Severity Medium

CVSS score 4.9 / 10

CVSS version 2.0

Published 2009-09-17

Modified 2026-04-23

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2009-3234?

CVE-2009-3234 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 4.9 out of 10 , classified as a Buffer Overflow flaw (CWE-119) . CVE-2009-3234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2009-3234?

CVE-2009-3234 has a CVSS score of 4.9 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 2.0). The vector string is AV:L/AC:L/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2009-3234?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2009-3234. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2009-3234 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2009-3234 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is Buffer Overflow (CWE-119)?

The product performs operations on a memory buffer but reads or writes outside its intended boundaries. View CWE-119 on MITRE CWE →