What is CVE-2012-0056?

CVE-2012-0056 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 6.9 out of 10, classified as a Permissions, Privileges and Access Control flaw (CWE-264). CVE-2012-0056 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is the CVSS score for CVE-2012-0056?

CVE-2012-0056 has a CVSS score of 6.9 out of 10, rated Medium severity. The vector string is AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C.

Is there a patch available for CVE-2012-0056?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2012-0056. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

Is CVE-2012-0056 actively exploited?

CVE-2012-0056 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

What is Permissions, Privileges and Access Control (CWE-264)?

Weaknesses in this category are related to the management of permissions, privileges, and access controls. See MITRE CWE for full details: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/264.html

CVE-2012-0056

Medium

The mem_write function in the Linux kernel before 3.2.2, when ASLR is disabled, does not properly check permissions when writing to /proc/<pid>/mem, which allows local users to gain privileges by modifying process memory, as demonstrated by Mempodipper.

Package Linux Kernel

Published 2012-01-27

Last modified 2026-04-29

CVSS version 2.0

Patch available

Awaiting data

CVSS 2.0 score

6.9

out of 10

Medium

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Privileges Required

User Interaction

Scope

Confidentiality

Integrity

Availability

Vector string

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

Weakness type

CWE-264

CVE-2012-0056 is a Permissions, Privileges and Access Control vulnerability

What is Permissions, Privileges and Access Control?

Weaknesses in this category are related to the management of permissions, privileges, and access controls. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2012-0056 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Blog
http://blog.zx2c4.com/749

Third Party Advisory
Secunia
http://secunia.com/advisories/47708

Broken Link
Ubuntu Security
http://ubuntu.com/usn/usn-1336-1

Third Party Advisory
Kb
http://www.kb.cert.org/vuls/id/470151

Third Party Advisory US Government Resource
Kernel.org
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v3.x/ChangeLog-3.2.2

Vendor Advisory
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/18/1

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/18/2

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/19/4

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Openwall
http://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2012/01/22/4

Mailing List Third Party Advisory
Red Hat
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2012-0052.html

Third Party Advisory
Red Hat
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHSA-2012-0061.html

Third Party Advisory
Securityfocus
http://www.securityfocus.com/bid/51625

Third Party Advisory VDB Entry
Red Hat
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=782642

Issue Tracking Third Party Advisory
Kernel patch commit
http://git.kernel.org/?p=linux/kernel/git/torvalds/linux-2.6.git%3Ba=commitdiff%3Bh=e268337dfe26dfc7efd422a804dbb27977a3cccc
Patch

Details

CVE ID CVE-2012-0056

Severity Medium

CVSS score 6.9 / 10

CVSS version 2.0

Published 2012-01-27

Modified 2026-04-29

KEV No

Patch Awaiting data

Package linux

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2012-0056?

CVE-2012-0056 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 6.9 out of 10 , classified as a Permissions, Privileges and Access Control flaw (CWE-264) . CVE-2012-0056 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.
What is the CVSS score for CVE-2012-0056?

CVE-2012-0056 has a CVSS score of 6.9 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 2.0). The vector string is AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:C/I:C/A:C.
Is there a patch available for CVE-2012-0056?

No patch is currently available for CVE-2012-0056. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.
Is CVE-2012-0056 actively exploited?

No — CVE-2012-0056 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.
What is Permissions, Privileges and Access Control (CWE-264)?

Weaknesses in this category are related to the management of permissions, privileges, and access controls. View CWE-264 on MITRE CWE →