The kernel packages contain the Linux kernel, the core of any Linux operating system. * A flaw was found in the way the Linux kernel handled GS segment register base switching when recovering from a #SS fault on an erroneous return to user space. A local, unprivileged user could use this flaw to escalate their privileges on the system. Red Hat would like to thank Andy Lutomirski for reporting this issue. All kernel users are advised to upgrade to these updated packages, which contain a backported patch to correct this issue. The system must be rebooted for this update to take effect.