CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-38583NVD status: Modified

Linux: Use After Free

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-38583 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 822ae5a8eac30478578a75f7e064f0584931bf2d, 82933c84f188dcfe89eb26b0b48ab5d1ca99d164, 67fa90d4a2ccd9ebb0e1e168c7d0b5d0cf3c7148 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 0.26% 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 822ae5a8eac30478578a75f7e064f0584931bf2d or 82933c84f188dcfe89eb26b0b48ab5d1ca99d164 or 67fa90d4a2ccd9ebb0e1e168c7d0b5d0cf3c7148 or e65ccf3a4de4f0c763d94789615b83e11f204438, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 4.19.316 or 5.4.278 or 5.10.219 or 5.15.161, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxfdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 822ae5a8eac30478578a75f7e064f0584931bf2d; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 82933c84f188dcfe89eb26b0b48ab5d1ca99d164; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 67fa90d4a2ccd9ebb0e1e168c7d0b5d0cf3c7148; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, e65ccf3a4de4f0c763d94789615b83e11f204438; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 86a30d6302deddb9fb97ba6fc4b04d0e870b582a; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, f9186bba4ea282b07293c1c892441df3a5441cb0; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 2f12b2c03c5dae1a0de0a9e5853177e3d6eee3c6; fdce895ea5dd4e24edf1f4d693827349a4e5b3b4 up to, but not including, 68e738be5c518fc3c4e9146b66f67c8fee0135fb; and 2 more ranges822ae5a8eac30478578a75f7e064f0584931bf2d, 82933c84f188dcfe89eb26b0b48ab5d1ca99d164, 67fa90d4a2ccd9ebb0e1e168c7d0b5d0cf3c7148, e65ccf3a4de4f0c763d94789615b83e11f204438, 86a30d6302deddb9fb97ba6fc4b04d0e870b582a, f9186bba4ea282b07293c1c892441df3a5441cb0
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.35 up to, but not including, 4.19.316; 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.278; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.219; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.161; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.94; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.33; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.8.12; 6.9 up to, but not including, 6.9.34.19.316, 5.4.278, 5.10.219, 5.15.161, 6.1.94, 6.6.33

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: nilfs2: fix use-after-free of timer for log writer thread Patch series "nilfs2: fix log writer related issues". This bug fix series covers three nilfs2 log writer-related issues, including a timer use-after-free issue and potential deadlock issue on unmount, and a potential freeze issue in event synchronization found during their analysis. Details are described in each commit log. This patch (of 3): A use-after-free issue has been reported regarding the timer sc_timer on the nilfs_sc_info structure. The problem is that even though it is used to wake up a sleeping log writer thread, sc_timer is not shut down until the nilfs_sc_info structure is about to be freed, and is used regardless of the thread's lifetime. Fix this issue by limiting the use of sc_timer only while the log writer thread is alive.

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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