CyberSecBulletin
CVE-2024-53156NVD status: Modified

Linux: Improper Validation of Array Index

Published Updated By the CyberSecBulletin desk

CVE-2024-53156 is a high-severity improper validation of array index 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 5f177fb9d01355ac183e65ad8909ea8ef734e0cf, cb480ae80fd4d0f1ac9e107ce799183beee5124b, c941af142200d975dd3be632aeb490f4cb91dae4 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 0.24% 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 5f177fb9d01355ac183e65ad8909ea8ef734e0cf or cb480ae80fd4d0f1ac9e107ce799183beee5124b or c941af142200d975dd3be632aeb490f4cb91dae4 or 8965db7fe2e913ee0802b05fc94c6d6aa74e0596, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
  2. Update Linux Kernel to 4.19.325 or 5.4.287 or 5.10.231 or 5.15.174, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.

Affected products and versions

VendorProductAffected versionsFixed in
LinuxLinuxfb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, 5f177fb9d01355ac183e65ad8909ea8ef734e0cf; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, cb480ae80fd4d0f1ac9e107ce799183beee5124b; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, c941af142200d975dd3be632aeb490f4cb91dae4; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, 8965db7fe2e913ee0802b05fc94c6d6aa74e0596; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, 70eae50d2156cb6e078d0d78809b49bf2f4c7540; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, b6551479daf2bfa80bfd5d9016b02a810e508bfb; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, 3fe99b9690b99606d3743c9961ebee865cfa1ab8; fb9987d0f748c983bb795a86f47522313f701a08 up to, but not including, bc981179ab5d1a2715f35e3db4e4bb822bacc849; and 2 more ranges5f177fb9d01355ac183e65ad8909ea8ef734e0cf, cb480ae80fd4d0f1ac9e107ce799183beee5124b, c941af142200d975dd3be632aeb490f4cb91dae4, 8965db7fe2e913ee0802b05fc94c6d6aa74e0596, 70eae50d2156cb6e078d0d78809b49bf2f4c7540, b6551479daf2bfa80bfd5d9016b02a810e508bfb
LinuxLinux Kernel2.6.35 up to, but not including, 4.19.325; 4.20 up to, but not including, 5.4.287; 5.5 up to, but not including, 5.10.231; 5.11 up to, but not including, 5.15.174; 5.16 up to, but not including, 6.1.120; 6.2 up to, but not including, 6.6.64; 6.7 up to, but not including, 6.11.11; 6.12 up to, but not including, 6.12.24.19.325, 5.4.287, 5.10.231, 5.15.174, 6.1.120, 6.6.64

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: wifi: ath9k: add range check for conn_rsp_epid in htc_connect_service() I found the following bug in my fuzzer: UBSAN: array-index-out-of-bounds in drivers/net/wireless/ath/ath9k/htc_hst.c:26:51 index 255 is out of range for type 'htc_endpoint [22]' CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 8 Comm: kworker/0:0 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc6-dirty #14 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014 Workqueue: events request_firmware_work_func Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x180/0x1b0 __ubsan_handle_out_of_bounds+0xd4/0x130 htc_issue_send.constprop.0+0x20c/0x230 ? _raw_spin_unlock_irqrestore+0x3c/0x70 ath9k_wmi_cmd+0x41d/0x610 ? mark_held_locks+0x9f/0xe0 ... Since this bug has been confirmed to be caused by insufficient verification of conn_rsp_epid, I think it would be appropriate to add a range check for conn_rsp_epid to htc_connect_service() to prevent the bug from occurring.

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

The underlying weakness: Improper Validation of Array Index

The product uses untrusted input when calculating or using an array index, but the product does not validate or incorrectly validates the index to ensure the index references a valid position within the array.

How developers prevent this class of flaw

  • Use an input validation framework such as Struts or the OWASP ESAPI Validation API. Note that using a framework does not automatically address all input validation problems; be mindful of weaknesses that could arise from misusing the framework itself (CWE-1173).
  • Use a language that does not allow this weakness to occur or provides constructs that make this weakness easier to avoid. For example, Ada allows the programmer to constrain the values of a variable and languages such as Java and Ruby will allow the programmer to handle exceptions when an out-of-bounds index is accessed.
  • Use a CPU and operating system that offers Data Execution Protection (using hardware NX or XD bits) or the equivalent techniques that simulate this feature in software, such as PaX. These techniques ensure that any instruction executed is exclusively at a memory address that is part of the code segment. For more information on these techniques see D3-PSEP (Process Segment Execution Prevention) from D3FEND.

More Improper Validation of Array Index vulnerabilities (CWE-129)

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 Improper Validation of Array Index vulnerabilities

Spotted an error? Tell us.