A flaw was found in the Linux kernel’s infrared serial module. An attacker could use this flaw to corrupt memory and possibly escalate privileges.

Mitigation

As the module will be auto-loaded when the relevant hardware is required, its use can be disabled by preventing the module from loading with the following instructions:

echo "install serial_ir /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-serial-ir.conf

The system will need to be restarted if the CIFS modules are loaded. In most circumstances, the CIFS kernel modules will be unable to be unloaded while any network interfaces are active and the protocol is in use.

If the system requires this module to work correctly, this mitigation may not be suitable.

If you need further assistance, see KCS article <https://access.redhat.com/solutions/41278&gt; or contact Red Hat Global Support Services.