CVE-2010-4170: The staprun runtime tool in SystemTap 1.3 does not properly clear the environment before executing modprobe...

Security readout for executives and security teams

CVE-2010-4170 is a local privilege escalation in SystemTap's staprun tool. A user already on a Linux system could abuse an uncleared environment variable before staprun launches modprobe, potentially gaining higher privileges. This is not described as a remote attack, but it matters on shared servers or after an initial compromise. Likely exposure is limited to systems with affected SystemTap/staprun packages installed, especially older Red Hat, Fedora, or Debian-derived Linux systems referenced by advisories. The attack requires local user access, so externally exposed services are not directly vulnerable unless first compromised. Prioritize remediation where legacy Linux systems are shared, developer-accessible, or exposed to post-compromise lateral movement. This is not a perimeter emergency, but it can turn a low-privilege foothold into higher system access. Mitigation focus: Update SystemTap using the relevant vendor security advisory packages.; Remove SystemTap from systems where runtime tracing is not required.; Restrict local shell access on systems that still need affected tooling..

Prepared

Jun 28, 2026, 01:17 UTC (UTC+00:00)

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.