New Ubuntu Security Bypasses Allow Attackers to Exploit Kernel
Vulnerabilities
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New Ubuntu Security Bypasses Allow Attackers to Exploit Kernel Vulnerabilities
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31-03-2025 Guru Baran -
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Incident Overview
3. Attack Methodology
4. Affected Versions
5. Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
6. Recommendations
7. Mitigation Strategies
8. Conclusion
9. References
1. Introduction
The Qualys Threat Research Unit (TRU) has disclosed three security bypasses in Ubuntu’s
unprivileged user namespace restrictions. These bypasses allow local attackers to escalate
privileges and exploit kernel vulnerabilities, increasing the risk of system compromise. The
vulnerabilities impact Ubuntu 23.10 and 24.04 LTS, undermining AppArmor-based protections
that were designed to limit namespace misuse.
Although these bypasses do not independently grant full system control, they become highly
effective when combined with kernel vulnerabilities requiring administrative privileges, such as
CAP_SYS_ADMIN or CAP_NET_ADMIN.
2. Incident Overview
Qualys responsibly disclosed these vulnerabilities to the Ubuntu Security Team on January 15,
2025. The discovery highlights a significant risk where attackers can create unrestricted
namespaces, bypassing Ubuntu’s security mechanisms. Canonical classified these issues as
defense-in-depth weaknesses rather than critical vulnerabilities but acknowledged their potential
impact when exploited alongside other security flaws.
The bypasses primarily affect:
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS: Restrictions enabled by default.
• Ubuntu 23.10: Restrictions exist but require manual activation.
User namespaces are essential for containerization and sandboxing but, when misconfigured,
expose critical kernel attack surfaces. These findings emphasize the delicate balance between
security and usability in Linux distributions.
3. Attack Methodology
1. Bypass via aa-exec
• The aa-exec tool, installed by default, allows switching to permissive AppArmor profiles.
• Attackers can exploit this to execute the unshare command, creating unrestricted
namespaces:
aa-exec -p unconfined -- unshare -U -r
• This grants full administrative capabilities within the namespace, bypassing Ubuntu’s
restrictions.
2. Bypass via Busybox
• The default Busybox shell has an AppArmor profile that permits unrestricted namespace
creation.
• Attackers can launch a shell and execute:
busybox sh -c 'unshare -U -r'
• This method is effective on both Ubuntu Server and Desktop installations.
3. Bypass via LD_PRELOAD
• Attackers inject a malicious shared library into trusted processes like Nautilus
(GNOME’s file manager).
• The library then spawns a shell within the process, enabling privileged namespace creation:
LD_PRELOAD=malicious.so nautilus
4. Affected Versions
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS – Vulnerable by default
• Ubuntu 23.10 – Vulnerable if namespace restrictions are manually enabled
5. Indicators of Compromise (IoCs)
Security teams should monitor for:
• Unexpected namespace creation logs in system activity
• Execution of aa-exec, Busybox, or LD_PRELOAD injection techniques
• Unauthorized process spawning via Nautilus or other system utilities
• Kernel log entries indicating namespace manipulation attempts
6. Recommendations
Organizations should implement the following measures to mitigate risk:
Kernel Parameter Adjustment
Block aa-exec abuse by enabling:
echo 1 > /proc/sys/kernel/apparmor_restrict_unprivileged_unconfined
Profile Hardening
Disable broad AppArmor profiles for Busybox and Nautilus:
sudo apparmor_parser -R /etc/apparmor.d/usr.bin.busybox
sudo apparmor_parser -R /etc/apparmor.d/usr.bin.nautilus
Stricter bwrap Profiles
Implement granular namespace controls for applications relying on bwrap (e.g., Flatpak).
Regular Security Audits
Check for namespace violations using:
aa-status | grep unconfined
7. Mitigation Strategies
• Apply Ubuntu security updates through standard channels.
• Automated kernel parameter enforcement
• Disabling vulnerable profiles
• Risk isolation for critical assets without patching
• Restrict unprivileged user namespace creation to trusted users only.
While Ubuntu's proactive security measures set industry benchmarks, these bypasses highlight the
complexity of defense-in-depth mechanisms.
8. Conclusion
The discovery of these bypasses underscores the evolving nature of Linux security threats. While
they do not grant full system control on their own, they significantly lower the barrier for attackers
exploiting kernel vulnerabilities.
Organizations should adopt a multi-layered security strategy, leveraging:
• Kernel hardening
• Strict AppArmor policies
• Continuous security monitoring
• Proactive patch management
9. References
• Qualys Security Advisory
• New Ubuntu Security Bypasses Allow Attackers to Exploit Kernel Vulnerabilities
• Qualys TRU Discovers Three Bypasses of Ubuntu Unprivileged User Namespace
Restrictions | Qualys Security Blog
Note- Detailed technical analysis and proof-of-concept (PoC) exploits for these bypasses are
available at:
Qualys Security Advisory
