CVE-2011-4080: Linux Kernel

Medium severity, CVSS 4.0. EPSS: 0.3% chance of exploitation in the next 30 days.

The sysrq_sysctl_handler function in kernel/sysctl.c in the Linux kernel before 2.6.39 does not require the CAP_SYS_ADMIN capability to modify the dmesg_restrict value, which allows local users to bypass intended access restrictions and read the kernel ring buffer by leveraging root privileges, as demonstrated by a root user in a Linux Containers (aka LXC) environment.

Affected products

• Linux Linux Kernel: before 2.6.39 (fixed in 2.6.39)

Published 2012-05-24. Last modified 2026-06-16.