# CVE-2009-0859: Denial of service in n/a

> Local users can cause a system hang via a specific shmctl call when CONFIG_SHMEM is disabled, requiring kernel upgrade.

- **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:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Mar 2009
- **Updated:** 7 Aug 2024
- **Also known as:** GHSA-qmp2-97fj-8p95

## What is CVE-2009-0859?

CVE-2009-0859 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Mar 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

The shm_get_stat function in ipc/shm.c in the shm subsystem in the Linux kernel before 2.6.28.5, when CONFIG_SHMEM is disabled, misinterprets the data type of an inode, which allows local users to cause a denial of service (system hang) via an SHM_INFO shmctl call, as demonstrated by running the ipcs program.

Weakness: CWE-20 (Improper Input Validation)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2009-0859?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2009-0859?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

## Is CVE-2009-0859 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2009-0859 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2009-0859 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2009-0859 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Mar 2009. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2009-0859 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. 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-2009-0859/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0859/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2009-0859
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-0859
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2009-0859

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2009-0859/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.