# CVE-2007-2172: Memory corruption in n/a

> A typo in the Linux kernel causes out-of-bounds memory access, allowing local attackers to escalate privileges or crash the system.

- **Severity:** Medium 4.7 (`AV:L/AC:M/Au:N/C:N/I:N/A:C`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 22 Apr 2007
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-gxp8-xh27-r994

## What is CVE-2007-2172?

CVE-2007-2172 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 22 Apr 2007. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

A typo in Linux kernel 2.6 before 2.6.21-rc6 and 2.4 before 2.4.35 causes RTA_MAX to be used as an array size instead of RTN_MAX, which leads to an "out of bound access" by the (1) dn_fib_props (dn_fib.c, DECNet) and (2) fib_props (fib_semantics.c, IPv4) functions.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2007-2172?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Canonical Ubuntu Linux, Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2007-2172?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2007-2172 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-2172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Canonical Ubuntu Linux

- [CVE-2020-11651](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-11651/): SaltStack Salt Authentication Bypass (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2020-7247](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2020-7247/): OpenSMTPD Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2019-16928](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2019-16928/): Exim Out-of-bounds Write (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2018-6789](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2018-6789/): Exim Buffer Overflow (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2015-2590](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-2590/): Oracle Java SE and Java SE Embedded Remote Code Execution (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2007-2172 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2007-2172 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Canonical Ubuntu Linux, published on 22 Apr 2007. Any signed-in user can exploit it over the network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2007-2172 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Canonical Ubuntu Linux. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2172/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2172/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2007-2172
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2007-2172
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2007-2172

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From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2007-2172/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.