The vulnerability is in the Linux implementation of the Reliable Datagram Sockets (RDS) protocol. It affects unpatched versions of the Linux kernel, starting from 2.6.30, where the RDS protocol was first included. A local attacker could issue specially crafted socket function calls to write arbritrary values into kernel memory. By leveraging this capability, it is possible for unprivileged users to escalate privileges to root. A fix for this issue has been committed by Linus Torvalds.
Source: https://threatpost.com/linux-kernel-flaw-coughs-root-rights-102110/74595/