Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2024-35921 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 ec25fc3c2c1e8958a51abcfed614f81446d918c4, 521ce0ea7418298d754494fe53263c23c4c78a8e, 97c75ee5de060d271d80109b0c47cb6008439e5b 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 0.24% chance of exploitation within 30 days, which is low compared with other CVEs.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to ec25fc3c2c1e8958a51abcfed614f81446d918c4 or 521ce0ea7418298d754494fe53263c23c4c78a8e or 97c75ee5de060d271d80109b0c47cb6008439e5b, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.27 or 6.8.6, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 2674486aac7d9c95ceb77daf7c30f862d4295c1c up to, but not including, ec25fc3c2c1e8958a51abcfed614f81446d918c4; 2674486aac7d9c95ceb77daf7c30f862d4295c1c up to, but not including, 521ce0ea7418298d754494fe53263c23c4c78a8e; 2674486aac7d9c95ceb77daf7c30f862d4295c1c up to, but not including, 97c75ee5de060d271d80109b0c47cb6008439e5b; 6.5 | ec25fc3c2c1e8958a51abcfed614f81446d918c4, 521ce0ea7418298d754494fe53263c23c4c78a8e, 97c75ee5de060d271d80109b0c47cb6008439e5b |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.5 up to, but not including, 6.6.27; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.8.6; 6.9 | 6.6.27, 6.8.6 |
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 system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | NVD |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: media: mediatek: vcodec: Fix oops when HEVC init fails The stateless HEVC decoder saves the instance pointer in the context regardless if the initialization worked or not. This caused a use after free, when the pointer is freed in case of a failure in the deinit function. Only store the instance pointer when the initialization was successful, to solve this issue. Hardware name: Acer Tomato (rev3 - 4) board (DT) pstate: 80400009 (Nzcv daif +PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--) pc : vcodec_vpu_send_msg+0x4c/0x190 [mtk_vcodec_dec] lr : vcodec_send_ap_ipi+0x78/0x170 [mtk_vcodec_dec] sp : ffff80008750bc20 x29: ffff80008750bc20 x28: ffff1299f6d70000 x27: 0000000000000000 x26: 0000000000000000 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: 0000000000000000 x23: ffff80008750bc98 x22: 000000000000a003 x21: ffffd45c4cfae000 x20: 0000000000000010 x19: ffff1299fd668310 x18: 000000000000001a x17: 000000040044ffff x16: ffffd45cb15dc648 x15: 0000000000000000 x14: ffff1299c08da1c0 x13: ffffd45cb1f87a10 x12: ffffd45cb2f5fe80 x11: 0000000000000001 x10: 0000000000001b30 x9 : ffffd45c4d12b488 x8 : 1fffe25339380d81 x7 : 0000000000000001 x6 : ffff1299c9c06c00 x5 : 0000000000000132 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000 x2 : 0000000000000010 x1 : ffff80008750bc98 x0 : 0000000000000000 Call trace: vcodec_vpu_send_msg+0x4c/0x190 [mtk_vcodec_dec] vcodec_send_ap_ipi+0x78/0x170 [mtk_vcodec_dec] vpu_dec_deinit+0x1c/0x30 [mtk_vcodec_dec] vdec_hevc_slice_deinit+0x30/0x98 [mtk_vcodec_dec] vdec_if_deinit+0x38/0x68 [mtk_vcodec_dec] mtk_vcodec_dec_release+0x20/0x40 [mtk_vcodec_dec] fops_vcodec_release+0x64/0x118 [mtk_vcodec_dec] v4l2_release+0x7c/0x100 __fput+0x80/0x2d8 __fput_sync+0x58/0x70 __arm64_sys_close+0x40/0x90 invoke_syscall+0x50/0x128 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x48/0xf0 do_el0_svc+0x24/0x38 el0_svc+0x38/0xd8 el0t_64_sync_handler+0xc0/0xc8 el0t_64_sync+0x1a8/0x1b0 Code: d503201f f9401660 b900127f b900227f (f9400400)
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.
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: total).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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