Linux: Double Free
CVE-2024-46687 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 51722b99f41f5e722ffa10b8f61e802a0e70b331, 4a3b9e1a8e6cd1a8d427a905e159de58d38941cc, 10d9d8c3512f16cad47b2ff81ec6fc4b27d8ee10 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 0.21% 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 51722b99f41f5e722ffa10b8f61e802a0e70b331 or 4a3b9e1a8e6cd1a8d427a905e159de58d38941cc or 10d9d8c3512f16cad47b2ff81ec6fc4b27d8ee10, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.49 or 6.10.8, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | 852eee62d31abd695cd43e1b875d664ed292a8ca up to, but not including, 51722b99f41f5e722ffa10b8f61e802a0e70b331; 852eee62d31abd695cd43e1b875d664ed292a8ca up to, but not including, 4a3b9e1a8e6cd1a8d427a905e159de58d38941cc; 852eee62d31abd695cd43e1b875d664ed292a8ca up to, but not including, 10d9d8c3512f16cad47b2ff81ec6fc4b27d8ee10; 6.3 | 51722b99f41f5e722ffa10b8f61e802a0e70b331, 4a3b9e1a8e6cd1a8d427a905e159de58d38941cc, 10d9d8c3512f16cad47b2ff81ec6fc4b27d8ee10 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.3 up to, but not including, 6.6.49; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.10.8; 6.11 | 6.6.49, 6.10.8 |
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: btrfs: fix a use-after-free when hitting errors inside btrfs_submit_chunk() [BUG] There is an internal report that KASAN is reporting use-after-free, with the following backtrace: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in btrfs_check_read_bio+0xa68/0xb70 [btrfs] Read of size 4 at addr ffff8881117cec28 by task kworker/u16:2/45 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 45 Comm: kworker/u16:2 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc2-next-20240805-default+ #76 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.16.2-3-gd478f380-rebuilt.opensuse.org 04/01/2014 Workqueue: btrfs-endio btrfs_end_bio_work [btrfs] Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0x61/0x80 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x5e/0x2f0 print_report+0x118/0x216 kasan_report+0x11d/0x1f0 btrfs_check_read_bio+0xa68/0xb70 [btrfs] process_one_work+0xce0/0x12a0 worker_thread+0x717/0x1250 kthread+0x2e3/0x3c0 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x70 ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20 Allocated by task 20917: kasan_save_stack+0x37/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x7d/0x80 kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x16e/0x3e0 mempool_alloc_noprof+0x12e/0x310 bio_alloc_bioset+0x3f0/0x7a0 btrfs_bio_alloc+0x2e/0x50 [btrfs] submit_extent_page+0x4d1/0xdb0 [btrfs] btrfs_do_readpage+0x8b4/0x12a0 [btrfs] btrfs_readahead+0x29a/0x430 [btrfs] read_pages+0x1a7/0xc60 page_cache_ra_unbounded+0x2ad/0x560 filemap_get_pages+0x629/0xa20 filemap_read+0x335/0xbf0 vfs_read+0x790/0xcb0 ksys_read+0xfd/0x1d0 do_syscall_64+0x6d/0x140 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 Freed by task 20917: kasan_save_stack+0x37/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x37/0x50 __kasan_slab_free+0x4b/0x60 kmem_cache_free+0x214/0x5d0 bio_free+0xed/0x180 end_bbio_data_read+0x1cc/0x580 [btrfs] btrfs_submit_chunk+0x98d/0x1880 [btrfs] btrfs_submit_bio+0x33/0x70 [btrfs] submit_one_bio+0xd4/0x130 [btrfs] submit_extent_page+0x3ea/0xdb0 [btrfs] btrfs_do_readpage+0x8b4/0x12a0 [btrfs] btrfs_readahead+0x29a/0x430 [btrfs] read_pages+0x1a7/0xc60 page_cache_ra_unbounded+0x2ad/0x560 filemap_get_pages+0x629/0xa20 filemap_read+0x335/0xbf0 vfs_read+0x790/0xcb0 ksys_read+0xfd/0x1d0 do_syscall_64+0x6d/0x140 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 [CAUSE] Although I cannot reproduce the error, the report itself is good enough to pin down the cause. The call trace is the regular endio workqueue context, but the free-by-task trace is showing that during btrfs_submit_chunk() we already hit a critical error, and is calling btrfs_bio_end_io() to error out. And the original endio function called bio_put() to free the whole bio. This means a double freeing thus causing use-after-free, e.g.: 1. Enter btrfs_submit_bio() with a read bio The read bio length is 128K, crossing two 64K stripes. 2. The first run of btrfs_submit_chunk() 2.1 Call btrfs_map_block(), which returns 64K 2.2 Call btrfs_split_bio() Now there are two bios, one referring to the first 64K, the other referring to the second 64K. 2.3 The first half is submitted. 3. The second run of btrfs_submit_chunk() 3.1 Call btrfs_map_block(), which by somehow failed Now we call btrfs_bio_end_io() to handle the error 3.2 btrfs_bio_end_io() calls the original endio function Which is end_bbio_data_read(), and it calls bio_put() for the original bio. Now the original bio is freed. 4. The submitted first 64K bio finished Now we call into btrfs_check_read_bio() and tries to advance the bio iter. But since the original bio (thus its iter) is already freed, we trigger the above use-after free. And even if the memory is not poisoned/corrupted, we will later call the original endio function, causing a double freeing. [FIX] Instead of calling btrfs_bio_end_io(), call btrfs_orig_bbio_end_io(), which has the extra check on split bios and do the pr ---truncated---
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.
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 Double Free vulnerabilities
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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