CVE-2013-1979: The scm_set_cred function in include/net/scm.h in the Linux kernel before 3.8.11 uses incorrect uid and gid...

Security readout for executives and security teams

This is an old Linux kernel local privilege escalation issue. A local user could abuse incorrect credential values passed inside the kernel to gain higher privileges. It is not a remote internet-facing bug, but it matters on legacy or multi-user Linux systems. Exposure is most likely on unsupported or long-lived Linux systems running kernels before 3.8.11, or vendor kernels lacking the relevant backport. An attacker needs local user access or a way to run code locally. Treat as moderate priority unless legacy Linux hosts still permit local user access. This is not presented as remotely exploitable, but successful exploitation could convert a low-privilege foothold into administrative control. Mitigation focus: Upgrade to a vendor-supported kernel containing the CVE-2013-1979 fix.; Confirm vendor backport status for Fedora, SUSE/openSUSE, Mandriva, or other deployed distributions.; Reboot systems after kernel updates so the patched kernel is running..

Prepared

Jun 14, 2026, 22:07 UTC (UTC+00:00)

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