14 DAY TRIAL // A security vulnerability that was discovered in the Linux kernel packages by Jüri Aedla, this time affecting the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx) operating system, was announced by Canonical.
Jüri Aedla discovered that the kernel incorrectly handled /proc/<pid>/mem permissions. A local attacker could exploit this and gain root privileges and the system could be made to run programs as an administrator.
As usual, you can click on the link to see how it affects your Ubuntu 10.04 LTS system, or go here for an in-depth description.
The security flaws can be fixed if you upgrade your system(s) to the proper version of Linux, detailed in the official announcement.
Don't forget to reboot your computer after the upgrade!
ATTENTION: Due to an unavoidable ABI change, the kernel packages have a new version number, which will force you to reinstall and recompile all third-party kernel modules you might have installed. Moreover, if you use the linux-restricted-modules package, you have to update it as well to get modules which work with the new Linux kernel version.