Linux: Double Free
CVE-2024-53191 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 223b546c6222d42147eff034433002ca5e2e7e09, 90556b96338aa6037cd26dac857327fda7c19732, 94c9100b600f05a36b33f9ed76dbd6fb0eb25386 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.
High severity with no evidence of exploitation so far.
What to do
- Update Linux to 223b546c6222d42147eff034433002ca5e2e7e09 or 90556b96338aa6037cd26dac857327fda7c19732 or 94c9100b600f05a36b33f9ed76dbd6fb0eb25386 or ca68ce0d9f4bcd032fd1334441175ae399642a06, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.6.64 or 6.11.11 or 6.12.2, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
Affected products and versions
| Vendor | Product | Affected versions | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linux | Linux | d889913205cf7ebda905b1e62c5867ed4e39f6c2 up to, but not including, 223b546c6222d42147eff034433002ca5e2e7e09; d889913205cf7ebda905b1e62c5867ed4e39f6c2 up to, but not including, 90556b96338aa6037cd26dac857327fda7c19732; d889913205cf7ebda905b1e62c5867ed4e39f6c2 up to, but not including, 94c9100b600f05a36b33f9ed76dbd6fb0eb25386; d889913205cf7ebda905b1e62c5867ed4e39f6c2 up to, but not including, ca68ce0d9f4bcd032fd1334441175ae399642a06; 6.3 | 223b546c6222d42147eff034433002ca5e2e7e09, 90556b96338aa6037cd26dac857327fda7c19732, 94c9100b600f05a36b33f9ed76dbd6fb0eb25386, ca68ce0d9f4bcd032fd1334441175ae399642a06 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 6.3 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, 6.12.2 | 6.6.64, 6.11.11, 6.12.2 |
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: wifi: ath12k: fix warning when unbinding If there is an error during some initialization related to firmware, the buffers dp->tx_ring[i].tx_status are released. However this is released again when the device is unbinded (ath12k_pci), and we get: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 2098 at mm/slub.c:4689 free_large_kmalloc+0x4d/0x80 Call Trace: free_large_kmalloc ath12k_dp_free ath12k_core_deinit ath12k_pci_remove ... The issue is always reproducible from a VM because the MSI addressing initialization is failing. In order to fix the issue, just set the buffers to NULL after releasing in order to avoid the double free.
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: total).
- 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
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
- 9.8 Critical severity
- 7.8 High severity
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