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CVE-2024-42147NVD status: Modified

Linux: Double Free

CVE-2024-42147 is a high-severity double 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 eda60520cfe3aba9f088c68ebd5bcbca9fc6ac3c, 7fc8d9a525b5c3f8dfa5ed50901e764d8ede7e1e, e0a2d2df9ba7bd6bd7e0a9b6a5e3894f7e8445b3 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 eda60520cfe3aba9f088c68ebd5bcbca9fc6ac3c or 7fc8d9a525b5c3f8dfa5ed50901e764d8ede7e1e or e0a2d2df9ba7bd6bd7e0a9b6a5e3894f7e8445b3 or 8be0913389718e8d27c4f1d4537b5e1b99ed7739, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.1.98 or 6.6.39 or 6.9.9, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinux263c9959c9376ec0217d6adc61222a53469eed3c up to, but not including, eda60520cfe3aba9f088c68ebd5bcbca9fc6ac3c; 263c9959c9376ec0217d6adc61222a53469eed3c up to, but not including, 7fc8d9a525b5c3f8dfa5ed50901e764d8ede7e1e; 263c9959c9376ec0217d6adc61222a53469eed3c up to, but not including, e0a2d2df9ba7bd6bd7e0a9b6a5e3894f7e8445b3; 263c9959c9376ec0217d6adc61222a53469eed3c up to, but not including, 8be0913389718e8d27c4f1d4537b5e1b99ed7739; 5.4eda60520cfe3aba9f088c68ebd5bcbca9fc6ac3c, 7fc8d9a525b5c3f8dfa5ed50901e764d8ede7e1e, e0a2d2df9ba7bd6bd7e0a9b6a5e3894f7e8445b3, 8be0913389718e8d27c4f1d4537b5e1b99ed7739
LinuxLinux Kernelbefore 6.1.98; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.39; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.9.96.1.98, 6.6.39, 6.9.9

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.

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: crypto: hisilicon/debugfs - Fix debugfs uninit process issue During the zip probe process, the debugfs failure does not stop the probe. When debugfs initialization fails, jumping to the error branch will also release regs, in addition to its own rollback operation. As a result, it may be released repeatedly during the regs uninit process. Therefore, the null check needs to be added to the regs uninit process.

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

The underlying weakness: Double Free

The product calls free() twice on the same memory address.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Choose a language that provides automatic memory management.
  • Ensure that each allocation is freed only once. After freeing a chunk, set the pointer to NULL to ensure the pointer cannot be freed again. In complicated error conditions, be sure that clean-up routines respect the state of allocation properly. If the language is object oriented, ensure that object destructors delete each chunk of memory only once.
  • Use a static analysis tool to find double free instances.

More Double Free vulnerabilities (CWE-415)

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 Double Free vulnerabilities

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