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CVE-2024-27061NVD status: Modified

Linux: Use After Free

CVE-2024-27061 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an attacker with a low-privileged account, without any action from a user. The record lists versions dc60b25540c82fc4baa95d1458ae96ead21859e0, 51a7d338c212e0640b1aca52ba6590d5bea49879, 183420038444547c149a0fc5f58e792c2752860c as the first without the flaw, so updating Linux to one of those releases or later removes the exposure. There is no confirmed exploitation so far. EPSS estimates a 0.23% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.

Next patch cycle

High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.

What to do

  1. Update Linux to dc60b25540c82fc4baa95d1458ae96ead21859e0 or 51a7d338c212e0640b1aca52ba6590d5bea49879 or 183420038444547c149a0fc5f58e792c2752860c, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.24 or 6.7.12, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux4136212ab18eb3dce6efb6e18108765c36708f71 up to, but not including, dc60b25540c82fc4baa95d1458ae96ead21859e0; 4136212ab18eb3dce6efb6e18108765c36708f71 up to, but not including, 51a7d338c212e0640b1aca52ba6590d5bea49879; 4136212ab18eb3dce6efb6e18108765c36708f71 up to, but not including, 183420038444547c149a0fc5f58e792c2752860c; 6.6dc60b25540c82fc4baa95d1458ae96ead21859e0, 51a7d338c212e0640b1aca52ba6590d5bea49879, 183420038444547c149a0fc5f58e792c2752860c
LinuxLinux Kernel6.6 up to, but not including, 6.6.24; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.7.12; 6.86.6.24, 6.7.12

Version data comes from the organisation that assigned the CVE. Confirm against the vendor advisory before deciding you are unaffected.

How the severity score breaks down

Attack vector
LocalThe attacker needs local access or must trick a user into running something.
Attack complexity
LowNo special conditions are needed; the attack works reliably.
Privileges required
LowA basic user account is enough.
User interaction
NoneNo action by a victim is required.
Scope
UnchangedImpact stays within the vulnerable component.
Confidentiality
HighAll data handled by the component can be read.
Integrity
HighData or code can be modified at will.
Availability
HighThe component can be taken down completely.

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by NVD.

Scoring systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighCNA
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: sun8i-ce - Fix use after free in unprepare sun8i_ce_cipher_unprepare should be called before crypto_finalize_skcipher_request, because client callbacks may immediately free memory, that isn't needed anymore. But it will be used by unprepare after free. Before removing prepare/unprepare callbacks it was handled by crypto engine in crypto_finalize_request. Usually that results in a pointer dereference problem during a in crypto selftest. Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 0000000000000030 Mem abort info: ESR = 0x0000000096000004 EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits SET = 0, FnV = 0 EA = 0, S1PTW = 0 FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault Data abort info: ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004, ISS2 = 0x00000000 CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0 GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0 user pgtable: 4k pages, 48-bit VAs, pgdp=000000004716d000 [0000000000000030] pgd=0000000000000000, p4d=0000000000000000 Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000004 [#1] SMP This problem is detected by KASAN as well. ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in sun8i_ce_cipher_do_one+0x6e8/0xf80 [sun8i_ce] Read of size 8 at addr ffff00000dcdc040 by task 1c15000.crypto-/373 Hardware name: Pine64 PinePhone (1.2) (DT) Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x9c/0x128 show_stack+0x20/0x38 dump_stack_lvl+0x48/0x60 print_report+0xf8/0x5d8 kasan_report+0x90/0xd0 __asan_load8+0x9c/0xc0 sun8i_ce_cipher_do_one+0x6e8/0xf80 [sun8i_ce] crypto_pump_work+0x354/0x620 [crypto_engine] kthread_worker_fn+0x244/0x498 kthread+0x168/0x178 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Allocated by task 379: kasan_save_stack+0x3c/0x68 kasan_set_track+0x2c/0x40 kasan_save_alloc_info+0x24/0x38 __kasan_kmalloc+0xd4/0xd8 __kmalloc+0x74/0x1d0 alg_test_skcipher+0x90/0x1f0 alg_test+0x24c/0x830 cryptomgr_test+0x38/0x60 kthread+0x168/0x178 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Freed by task 379: kasan_save_stack+0x3c/0x68 kasan_set_track+0x2c/0x40 kasan_save_free_info+0x38/0x60 __kasan_slab_free+0x100/0x170 slab_free_freelist_hook+0xd4/0x1e8 __kmem_cache_free+0x15c/0x290 kfree+0x74/0x100 kfree_sensitive+0x80/0xb0 alg_test_skcipher+0x12c/0x1f0 alg_test+0x24c/0x830 cryptomgr_test+0x38/0x60 kthread+0x168/0x178 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff00000dcdc000 which belongs to the cache kmalloc-256 of size 256 The buggy address is located 64 bytes inside of freed 256-byte region [ffff00000dcdc000, ffff00000dcdc100)

Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.

The underlying weakness: Use After Free

The product reuses or references memory after it has been freed. At some point afterward, the memory may be allocated again and saved in another pointer, while the original pointer references a location somewhere within the new allocation. Any operations using the original pointer are no longer valid because the memory belongs to the code that operates on the new pointer.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • When freeing pointers, be sure to set them to NULL once they are freed. However, the utilization of multiple or complex data structures may lower the usefulness of this strategy.

More Use After Free vulnerabilities (CWE-416)

Timeline

  1. CVE record published.
  2. CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

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