# CVE-2019-15790: apport: Apport reads and writes information on a crashed process to /proc/pid with elevated privileges

CVE-2019-15790 is fixed in 11 products on 1 platform, first by apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8, released October 28, 2019. It is not reported as exploited. Patch Radar priority: Routine.

- Web page: https://patchblox.com/security/cve/CVE-2019-15790
- Priority: Routine
- CVSS: n/a (Medium)
- EPSS: 0.0052
- CISA KEV: not listed
- Exploited (vendor report): no
- Publicly disclosed: no
- Published: Oct 28, 2019

## Description

Apport reads and writes information on a crashed process to /proc/pid with elevated privileges. Apport then determines which user the crashed process belongs to by reading /proc/pid through get_pid_info() in data/apport. An unprivileged user could exploit this to read information about a privileged running process by exploiting PID recycling. This information could then be used to obtain ASLR offsets for a process with an existing memory corruption vulnerability. The initial fix introduced regressions in the Python Apport library due to a missing argument in Report.add_proc_environ in apport/report.py. It also caused an autopkgtest failure when reading /proc/pid and with Python 2 compatibility by reading /proc maps. The initial and subsequent regression fixes are in 2.20.11-0ubuntu16, 2.20.11-0ubuntu8.6, 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.12, 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.22 and 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.29+esm3.

## Where it's fixed

| Platform | Product | Fixed in | Fix | Released |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | apport-gtk Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport-gtk 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-gtk-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | apport-kde Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport-kde 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-kde-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | apport-noui Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport-noui 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-noui-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | apport-retrace Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport-retrace 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-retrace-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | apport-valgrind Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [apport-valgrind 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-apport-valgrind-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | dh-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [dh-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-dh-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | python-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [python-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | python-problem-report Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [python-problem-report 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python-problem-report-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | python3-apport Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [python3-apport 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python3-apport-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |
| Linux | python3-problem-report Ubuntu 18.04.6 LTS (bionic) | 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8 | [python3-problem-report 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8](https://patchblox.com/security/data/fix/linux/ubuntu-bionic-python3-problem-report-2.20.9-0ubuntu7.8.md) | Oct 28, 2019 |

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