linux-kernel-exploits

This repository is a curated collection of privilege escalation exploits targeting the Linux kernel. Privilege escalation means taking a user account with limited permissions and gaining full administrative (root) access to the system by exploiting a security flaw. The collection is maintained by SecWiki, a Chinese security community, and the repository description is written in Chinese.

The README is structured as a long list of known vulnerabilities, each identified by a CVE number. CVE stands for Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, which is the standard naming system used by the security industry to track and reference specific bugs. Each entry links to a folder in the repository containing code or scripts related to that vulnerability, and notes which kernel versions are affected.

The vulnerabilities span roughly a decade of Linux kernel releases, from the 2.4 and 2.6 series through the 4.x line. Some entries target specific kernel subsystems such as networking, USB drivers, or user namespaces. Others target shared system libraries like glibc or utilities like Sudo that run on top of the kernel. Well-known entries include "Dirty Cow" (CVE-2016-5195), a widely exploited memory flaw that affected Linux kernels released after 2007.

This repository is intended for security researchers, penetration testers, and people studying how kernel vulnerabilities work in a controlled or authorized context. It is not a tool for production software development. Each entry is essentially a reference and a starting point for understanding a specific class of bug rather than a finished, packaged tool.

The README does not explain how to set up or run any individual exploit. For details on a specific CVE, you would look inside the corresponding folder.