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Gemini Executive Synthesis

dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability)

Technical Positioning
Exploitability and compilation on EL7 (CentOS 7.9)
SaaS Insight & Market Implications
The `dirtyfrag` exploit fails to compile on CentOS 7.9 (EL7) with kernel 3.10.0 and GCC 4.8.5, raising questions about its exploitability on older distributions. Compilation errors, specifically related to unknown types and syntax, suggest incompatibility with older kernel headers or compiler versions. This highlights a critical developer pain point: maintaining exploit compatibility across diverse and aging Linux environments. For B2B SaaS security tools, this implies a need for robust testing and support matrices covering legacy systems. Customers operating mixed environments require assurance that security tools function reliably, regardless of their specific OS vintage, or clear guidance on unsupported platforms.
Proprietary Technical Taxonomy
EL7 CentOS 7.9 compilation errors kernel 3.10.0 gcc 4.8.5 unknown type name expected token

Raw Developer Origin & Technical Request

Source Icon GitHub Issue May 7, 2026
Repo: V4bel/dirtyfrag
EL7 (CentOS 7.9) compilation errors - Not exploitable?

Howdy,

I'm testing this on CentOS 7.9 and the code fails to compile. Does this indicate that EL7 isn't exploitable by Dirty Frag, like Copy Fail? Or is this just an issue with the code not supporting such an old distro, kernel and compiler?

```shell
$ cat /etc/redhat-release ; uname -r; gcc --version

CentOS Linux release 7.9.2009 (Core)
3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64
gcc (GCC) 4.8.5 20150623 (Red Hat 4.8.5-44)
```

```shell
$ gcc -I/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/include \
> -I/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/arch/x86/include \
> -I/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/arch/x86/include/generated \
> -O0 -Wall -o exp exp.c -lutil
In file included from /usr/include/bits/fcntl-linux.h:323:0,
from /usr/include/bits/fcntl.h:61,
from /usr/include/fcntl.h:35,
from exp.c:7:
/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/include/linux/falloc.h:12:2: error: unknown type name ‘__s16’
__s16 l_type;
^
/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/include/linux/falloc.h:13:2: error: unknown type name ‘__s16’
__s16 l_whence;
^
/usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/include/linux/falloc.h:14:2: error: unknown type name ‘__s64’
__s64 l_start;
^

...

exp.c:1896:1: error: expected ‘=’, ‘,’, ‘;’, ‘asm’ or ‘__attribute__’ before ‘{’ token
{
^
In file included from /usr/src/kernels/3.10.0-1160.119.1.el7.x86_64/include/linux/skbuff.h:17:0,
from /usr/src/kernels...

Developer Debate & Comments

maxpoulin64 • May 7, 2026
That kernel is way too old for that. The bug was introduced in a commit from 2017-01-17, your kernel is from 2013.
flakrat • May 7, 2026
It's true that 3.10 was released in 2013 (with LTS thru 2017 I think). That said, Red Hat does a lot of back porting into their EL kernels and 3.10.0-1160 was released in 2020 (still old) with end of maintenance in 2024 and of extended support ending in 2028. It's the back porting that may make it vulnerable. 🤷
maxpoulin64 • May 7, 2026
They usually backport security fixes, not entire features. If it's not essential, it's not backported. I can't see why they would have backported that stuff unless it was breaking something else important and that bad code was part of the fix.
John-Doggett • May 8, 2026
You're running CentOS 7 so you're already screwed regardless of _this_ vulnerability.
traktofon • May 8, 2026
RedHat still offer security support for RHEL7 ("extended lifecycle support"). It is possible to compile the exploit on RHEL7.9. You need a newer GCC but it's not uncommon to have that available. Here using GCC 10.2.0. Copy header from kernel sources: ``` mkdir -p include/linux cp /usr/src/kernels/$(uname -r)/include/linux/rxrpc.h include/linux/ ``` Patch the exploit code to make it compile: ``` diff --git a/exp.c b/exp.c index d8d5711..25b5e1c 100644 --- a/exp.c +++ b/exp.c @@ -1,3 +1,5 @@ +typedef unsigned short u16; + #define _GNU_SOURCE #include #include @@ -16,7 +18,7 @@ #include #include #include -#include +// #include #include #include #include ``` Compile with ``` gcc --std=c99 -I./include -O0 -Wall -o exp exp.c -lutil ``` However, running the exploit fails. Tested on kernel `3.10.0-1160.147.1.el7.x86_64`. But that doesn't mea...

Adjacent Repository Pain Points

Other highly discussed features and pain points extracted from V4bel/dirtyfrag.

Extracted Positioning
dirtyfrag (exploit mitigation and persistence)
Effectiveness of mitigation strategies (disabling kernel modules, reboot, page cache drop)
Top Replies
treydock • May 7, 2026
Seems once a host as run the exploit, it won't stop until rebooted. ``` [tdockendorf@OMIT dirtyfrag]$ ./exp dirtyfrag: failed (rc=1) ``` On mitigated host that hadn't been exploited yet.
jine • May 7, 2026
Correct - i can confirm that, exploited hosts / tests the mitigation (removing/disabling esp4 esp6 and rxrpc) do need a reboot. Just removing the kernel modules without rebooting does not affect al...
cambid • May 7, 2026
Can you try to drop the page cache after the exploit? This should work without a reboot. ``` sudo echo 3 > /prox/sys/vm/drop_caches ```
Extracted Positioning
dirtyfrag (exploit compatibility)
Exploitability on Android's Linux kernels
Top Replies
KaruroChori • May 7, 2026
It does not on any of the devices I have tested. But it does not mean they are not affected, just that this specific code does not work for those targets. They might still be vulnerable.
rouault • May 7, 2026
> But it does not mean they are not affected, just that this specific code does not work for those targets the particular exploit contains x86_64 binary code (see https://github.com/V4bel/dirtyfrag...
rollerozxa • May 7, 2026
[Comment thread on HN about it](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48054201). The Linux kernel used by Android may be hardened to make it not possible (I don't know if Copy Fail was ever possible...
Extracted Positioning
dirtyfrag (exploit scope and impact)
Container escape capability of the vulnerability
Top Replies
maxpoulin64 • May 7, 2026
It's as bad as getting root in a container. You'd still need to chain a container escape exploit. They tend to be easier to pull off with root access, but without a current container escape exploit...
ChrisTX • May 7, 2026
Depends on the setup. Same as with copy.fail, you could use this to corrupt the kernel memory view of any file that can be opened. The NVIDIA container integration for CUDA for instance makes some ...
Percivalll • May 8, 2026
I have tested it on GKE and ACK clusters. All failed. On ACK default node image: user.max_user_namespaces is set 0, so unprivileged user can't use CLONE_NEWUSER unshare. On GKE default node image (...
Extracted Positioning
dirtyfrag (exploit vulnerability)
Exploitability on Ubuntu 26.04
Top Replies
mhalano • May 7, 2026
Yeah. I could touch a file that got root permissions.
neofutur • May 7, 2026
yes here too mitigation : sh -c "printf 'install esp4 /bin/false\ninstall esp6 /bin/false\ninstall rxrpc /bin/false\n' > /etc/modprobe.d/dirtyfrag.conf; rmmod esp4 esp6 rxrpc 2>/dev/null; true" wor...
danielzgtg • May 8, 2026
Tracked at https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kmod/+bug/2151831
Extracted Positioning
dirtyfrag (exploit vulnerability)
Exploitability on Proxmox kernels
Top Replies
xyzulu • May 8, 2026
No surprise.. proxmox kernels are based heavily on Debian. Just in case you had not already done this, I have emailed proxmox security team to alert them. Also posted here since there is no point i...
zarlo • May 8, 2026
The kernel is Ubuntu and user space is Debian
ExplodingDragon • May 8, 2026
Maybe we should evaluate the unprivileged LXC case: if it's blocked by seccomp/AppArmor, the risk is likely low.

Frequently Asked Questions

Market intelligence mapped to dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability).

What problem does dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability) solve?
Based on our AI analysis of the original developer request, its primary technical positioning is: Exploitability and compilation on EL7 (CentOS 7.9)
What is the general sentiment around dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability)?
Yes, we have tracked 3 direct responses and active debates regarding this specific topic originating from GitHub Issue.
Which technical concepts are associated with dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability)?
Our proprietary extraction maps dirtyfrag (exploit compilation/exploitability) to adjacent architectural concepts including EL7, CentOS 7.9, compilation errors, kernel 3.10.0.

Engagement Signals

3
Replies
open
Issue Status

Cross-Market Term Frequency

Quantifies the cross-market adoption of foundational terms like EL7 and CentOS 7.9 by tracking occurrence frequency across active SaaS architectures and enterprise developer debates.