Linux: Use After Free
CVE-2024-50114 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 6bcc2890b883ba1d16b8942937750565f6e9db0d, ae8f8b37610269009326f4318df161206c59843e 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.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 6bcc2890b883ba1d16b8942937750565f6e9db0d or ae8f8b37610269009326f4318df161206c59843e, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.11.6 or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | f616506754d34bcfdbfbc7508b562e5c98461e9a up to, but not including, 6bcc2890b883ba1d16b8942937750565f6e9db0d; f616506754d34bcfdbfbc7508b562e5c98461e9a up to, but not including, ae8f8b37610269009326f4318df161206c59843e; 6.11 | 6bcc2890b883ba1d16b8942937750565f6e9db0d, ae8f8b37610269009326f4318df161206c59843e |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.11 up to, but not including, 6.11.6; 6.12 | 6.11.6 |
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 | NVD |
| CVSS 3.1 | 7.8 | High | CISA (ADP) |
Official description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: KVM: arm64: Unregister redistributor for failed vCPU creation Alex reports that syzkaller has managed to trigger a use-after-free when tearing down a VM: BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in kvm_put_kvm+0x300/0xe68 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:5769 Read of size 8 at addr ffffff801c6890d0 by task syz.3.2219/10758 CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 10758 Comm: syz.3.2219 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc6-dirty #64 Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT) Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x17c/0x1a8 arch/arm64/kernel/stacktrace.c:317 show_stack+0x2c/0x3c arch/arm64/kernel/stacktrace.c:324 __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:93 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x94/0xc0 lib/dump_stack.c:119 print_report+0x144/0x7a4 mm/kasan/report.c:377 kasan_report+0xcc/0x128 mm/kasan/report.c:601 __asan_report_load8_noabort+0x20/0x2c mm/kasan/report_generic.c:381 kvm_put_kvm+0x300/0xe68 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:5769 kvm_vm_release+0x4c/0x60 virt/kvm/kvm_main.c:1409 __fput+0x198/0x71c fs/file_table.c:422 ____fput+0x20/0x30 fs/file_table.c:450 task_work_run+0x1cc/0x23c kernel/task_work.c:228 do_notify_resume+0x144/0x1a0 include/linux/resume_user_mode.h:50 el0_svc+0x64/0x68 arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:169 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x90/0xfc arch/arm64/kernel/entry-common.c:730 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x194 arch/arm64/kernel/entry.S:598 Upon closer inspection, it appears that we do not properly tear down the MMIO registration for a vCPU that fails creation late in the game, e.g. a vCPU w/ the same ID already exists in the VM. It is important to consider the context of commit that introduced this bug by moving the unregistration out of __kvm_vgic_vcpu_destroy(). That change correctly sought to avoid an srcu v. config_lock inversion by breaking up the vCPU teardown into two parts, one guarded by the config_lock. Fix the use-after-free while avoiding lock inversion by adding a special-cased unregistration to __kvm_vgic_vcpu_destroy(). This is safe because failed vCPUs are torn down outside of the config_lock.
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
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 7.8 High severity
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