CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-53068NVD status: Modified

Linux: Use After Free

CVE-2024-53068 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 c3c49feed980279e8342b934bf2c7f25df1b0bc1, 15b17bbcea07d49c43d21aa700485cbd9f9d00d8, 1e1f523b185a8ccdcba625b31ff0312d052900e2 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 0.22% 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 c3c49feed980279e8342b934bf2c7f25df1b0bc1 or 15b17bbcea07d49c43d21aa700485cbd9f9d00d8 or 1e1f523b185a8ccdcba625b31ff0312d052900e2 or 295416091e44806760ccf753aeafdafc0ae268f3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.61 or 6.11.8, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxee7a9c9f67c59008b330deff2762bd8cf1407eec up to, but not including, c3c49feed980279e8342b934bf2c7f25df1b0bc1; ee7a9c9f67c59008b330deff2762bd8cf1407eec up to, but not including, 15b17bbcea07d49c43d21aa700485cbd9f9d00d8; ee7a9c9f67c59008b330deff2762bd8cf1407eec up to, but not including, 1e1f523b185a8ccdcba625b31ff0312d052900e2; ee7a9c9f67c59008b330deff2762bd8cf1407eec up to, but not including, 295416091e44806760ccf753aeafdafc0ae268f3; 5.6c3c49feed980279e8342b934bf2c7f25df1b0bc1, 15b17bbcea07d49c43d21aa700485cbd9f9d00d8, 1e1f523b185a8ccdcba625b31ff0312d052900e2, 295416091e44806760ccf753aeafdafc0ae268f3
LinuxLinux Kernel5.6 up to, but not including, 6.6.61; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.11.8; 6.126.6.61, 6.11.8

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 systemScoreSeverityScored by
CVSS 3.17.8HighNVD
CVSS 3.17.8HighCISA (ADP)

Official description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: firmware: arm_scmi: Fix slab-use-after-free in scmi_bus_notifier() The scmi_dev->name is released prematurely in __scmi_device_destroy(), which causes slab-use-after-free when accessing scmi_dev->name in scmi_bus_notifier(). So move the release of scmi_dev->name to scmi_device_release() to avoid slab-use-after-free. | BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in strncmp+0xe4/0xec | Read of size 1 at addr ffffff80a482bcc0 by task swapper/0/1 | | CPU: 1 PID: 1 Comm: swapper/0 Not tainted 6.6.38-debug #1 | Hardware name: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. SA8775P Ride (DT) | Call trace: | dump_backtrace+0x94/0x114 | show_stack+0x18/0x24 | dump_stack_lvl+0x48/0x60 | print_report+0xf4/0x5b0 | kasan_report+0xa4/0xec | __asan_report_load1_noabort+0x20/0x2c | strncmp+0xe4/0xec | scmi_bus_notifier+0x5c/0x54c | notifier_call_chain+0xb4/0x31c | blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x68/0x9c | bus_notify+0x54/0x78 | device_del+0x1bc/0x840 | device_unregister+0x20/0xb4 | __scmi_device_destroy+0xac/0x280 | scmi_device_destroy+0x94/0xd0 | scmi_chan_setup+0x524/0x750 | scmi_probe+0x7fc/0x1508 | platform_probe+0xc4/0x19c | really_probe+0x32c/0x99c | __driver_probe_device+0x15c/0x3c4 | driver_probe_device+0x5c/0x170 | __driver_attach+0x1c8/0x440 | bus_for_each_dev+0xf4/0x178 | driver_attach+0x3c/0x58 | bus_add_driver+0x234/0x4d4 | driver_register+0xf4/0x3c0 | __platform_driver_register+0x60/0x88 | scmi_driver_init+0xb0/0x104 | do_one_initcall+0xb4/0x664 | kernel_init_freeable+0x3c8/0x894 | kernel_init+0x24/0x1e8 | ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 | | Allocated by task 1: | kasan_save_stack+0x2c/0x54 | kasan_set_track+0x2c/0x40 | kasan_save_alloc_info+0x24/0x34 | __kasan_kmalloc+0xa0/0xb8 | __kmalloc_node_track_caller+0x6c/0x104 | kstrdup+0x48/0x84 | kstrdup_const+0x34/0x40 | __scmi_device_create.part.0+0x8c/0x408 | scmi_device_create+0x104/0x370 | scmi_chan_setup+0x2a0/0x750 | scmi_probe+0x7fc/0x1508 | platform_probe+0xc4/0x19c | really_probe+0x32c/0x99c | __driver_probe_device+0x15c/0x3c4 | driver_probe_device+0x5c/0x170 | __driver_attach+0x1c8/0x440 | bus_for_each_dev+0xf4/0x178 | driver_attach+0x3c/0x58 | bus_add_driver+0x234/0x4d4 | driver_register+0xf4/0x3c0 | __platform_driver_register+0x60/0x88 | scmi_driver_init+0xb0/0x104 | do_one_initcall+0xb4/0x664 | kernel_init_freeable+0x3c8/0x894 | kernel_init+0x24/0x1e8 | ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 | | Freed by task 1: | kasan_save_stack+0x2c/0x54 | kasan_set_track+0x2c/0x40 | kasan_save_free_info+0x38/0x5c | __kasan_slab_free+0xe8/0x164 | __kmem_cache_free+0x11c/0x230 | kfree+0x70/0x130 | kfree_const+0x20/0x40 | __scmi_device_destroy+0x70/0x280 | scmi_device_destroy+0x94/0xd0 | scmi_chan_setup+0x524/0x750 | scmi_probe+0x7fc/0x1508 | platform_probe+0xc4/0x19c | really_probe+0x32c/0x99c | __driver_probe_device+0x15c/0x3c4 | driver_probe_device+0x5c/0x170 | __driver_attach+0x1c8/0x440 | bus_for_each_dev+0xf4/0x178 | driver_attach+0x3c/0x58 | bus_add_driver+0x234/0x4d4 | driver_register+0xf4/0x3c0 | __platform_driver_register+0x60/0x88 | scmi_driver_init+0xb0/0x104 | do_one_initcall+0xb4/0x664 | kernel_init_freeable+0x3c8/0x894 | kernel_init+0x24/0x1e8 | ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20

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: total).
  3. Record last changed materially (score, affected products, status or references).

References

Recent Use After Free vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.