Linux: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
CVE-2024-36910 is a high-severity exposure of sensitive information to an unauthorized actor vulnerability in Linux, with a CVSS 3.1 base score of 8.4 out of 10. It can be exploited with local access to the system by an unauthenticated attacker, without any action from a user. The record lists versions dabf12bf994318d939f70d47cfda30e47abb2c54, 6466a0f6d235c8a18c602cb587160d7e49876db9, fe2c58602354fbd60680dc42ac3a0b772cda7d23 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 0.25% 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 dabf12bf994318d939f70d47cfda30e47abb2c54 or 6466a0f6d235c8a18c602cb587160d7e49876db9 or fe2c58602354fbd60680dc42ac3a0b772cda7d23 or 3d788b2fbe6a1a1a9e3db09742b90809d51638b7, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update linux_kernel to dabf12bf9943 or 6466a0f6d235 or fe2c58602354 or 3d788b2fbe6a, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | d4dccf353db80e209f262e3973c834e6e48ba9a9 up to, but not including, dabf12bf994318d939f70d47cfda30e47abb2c54; d4dccf353db80e209f262e3973c834e6e48ba9a9 up to, but not including, 6466a0f6d235c8a18c602cb587160d7e49876db9; d4dccf353db80e209f262e3973c834e6e48ba9a9 up to, but not including, fe2c58602354fbd60680dc42ac3a0b772cda7d23; d4dccf353db80e209f262e3973c834e6e48ba9a9 up to, but not including, 3d788b2fbe6a1a1a9e3db09742b90809d51638b7; 5.16 | dabf12bf994318d939f70d47cfda30e47abb2c54, 6466a0f6d235c8a18c602cb587160d7e49876db9, fe2c58602354fbd60680dc42ac3a0b772cda7d23, 3d788b2fbe6a1a1a9e3db09742b90809d51638b7 |
| Linux | linux_kernel | 1da177e4c3f4 up to, but not including, dabf12bf9943; 1da177e4c3f4 up to, but not including, 6466a0f6d235; 1da177e4c3f4 up to, but not including, fe2c58602354; 1da177e4c3f4 up to, but not including, 3d788b2fbe6a | dabf12bf9943, 6466a0f6d235, fe2c58602354, 3d788b2fbe6a |
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
- NoneNo account or login is needed.
- 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:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. Scored by CNA.
| Scoring system | Score | Severity | Scored by |
|---|---|---|---|
| CVSS 3.1 | 8.4 | High | CNA |
| CVSS 3.1 | 6.2 | Medium | CISA (ADP) |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: uio_hv_generic: Don't free decrypted memory In CoCo VMs it is possible for the untrusted host to cause set_memory_encrypted() or set_memory_decrypted() to fail such that an error is returned and the resulting memory is shared. Callers need to take care to handle these errors to avoid returning decrypted (shared) memory to the page allocator, which could lead to functional or security issues. The VMBus device UIO driver could free decrypted/shared pages if set_memory_decrypted() fails. Check the decrypted field in the gpadl to decide whether to free the memory.
Source: the CVE record as published by its numbering authority, via NVD and CVE.org.
The underlying weakness: Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor
The product exposes sensitive information to an actor that is not explicitly authorized to have access to that information.
How developers prevent this class of flaw
- Compartmentalize the system to have safe areas where trust boundaries can be unambiguously drawn. Do not allow sensitive data to go outside of the trust boundary and always be careful when interfacing with a compartment outside of the safe area. Ensure that appropriate compartmentalization is built into the system design, and the compartmentalization allows for and reinforces privilege separation functionality. Architects and designers should rely on the principle of least privilege to decide the appropriate time to use privileges and the time to drop privileges.
More Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities (CWE-200)
Timeline
- CVE record published.
- CISA published its SSVC assessment (exploitation: none, automatable: no, technical impact: partial).
- Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).
References
Patches and release notes
Recent Exposure of Sensitive Information to an Unauthorized Actor vulnerabilities
- 7.7 High severity
- 8.6 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 8.1 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
- 7.5 High severity
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