1. Ubuntu Security Notices
  2. USN-3597-1

USN-3597-1: Linux kernel vulnerabilities

Publication date

15 March 2018

Overview

Several security issues were fixed in the Linux kernel.

Releases

Packages

Details

USNS 3541-1 and 3523-1 provided mitigations for Spectre and Meltdown
(CVE-2017-5715, CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5754) for the i386, amd64,
and ppc64el architectures in Ubuntu 17.10. This update provides
the corresponding mitigations for the arm64 architecture. Original
advisory details:

Jann Horn discovered that microprocessors utilizing speculative execution
and indirect branch prediction may allow unauthorized memory reads via
sidechannel attacks. This flaw is known as Meltdown. A local attacker could
use this to expose sensitive information, including kernel memory.
(CVE-2017-5754)

Jann Horn discovered that microprocessors utilizing speculative execution
and branch prediction may allow unauthorized memory reads via sidechannel
attacks. This flaw is known as Spectre. A...

USNS 3541-1 and 3523-1 provided mitigations for Spectre and Meltdown
(CVE-2017-5715, CVE-2017-5753, CVE-2017-5754) for the i386, amd64,
and ppc64el architectures in Ubuntu 17.10. This update provides
the corresponding mitigations for the arm64 architecture. Original
advisory details:

Jann Horn discovered that microprocessors utilizing speculative execution
and indirect branch prediction may allow unauthorized memory reads via
sidechannel attacks. This flaw is known as Meltdown. A local attacker could
use this to expose sensitive information, including kernel memory.
(CVE-2017-5754)

Jann Horn discovered that microprocessors utilizing speculative execution
and branch prediction may allow unauthorized memory reads via sidechannel
attacks. This flaw is known as Spectre. A local attacker could use this to
expose sensitive information, including kernel memory. (CVE-2017-5715,
CVE-2017-5753)

Update instructions

After a standard system update you need to reboot your computer to make all the necessary changes.

Learn more about how to get the fixes.

ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change the kernel updates have been given a new version number, which requires you to recompile and reinstall all third party kernel modules you might have installed. Unless you manually uninstalled the standard kernel metapackages (e.g. linux-generic, linux-generic-lts-RELEASE, linux-virtual, linux-powerpc), a standard system upgrade will automatically perform this as well.

The problem can be corrected by updating your system to the following package versions:

Ubuntu Release Package Version
17.10 artful linux-image-4.13.0-37-lowlatency –  4.13.0-37.42
linux-image-generic –  4.13.0.37.40
linux-image-4.13.0-37-generic –  4.13.0-37.42
linux-image-generic-lpae –  4.13.0.37.40
linux-image-4.13.0-1015-raspi2 –  4.13.0-1015.16
linux-image-4.13.0-37-generic-lpae –  4.13.0-37.42
linux-image-lowlatency –  4.13.0.37.40
linux-image-raspi2 –  4.13.0.1015.13

Reduce your security exposure

Ubuntu Pro provides ten-year security coverage to 25,000+ packages in Main and Universe repositories, and it is free for up to five machines.

Get Ubuntu Pro

References

id=“usn”

Have additional questions?

Talk to a member of the team ›