Linux: Double Free
CVE-2024-53213 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 cc5aa8e3ad69dcedeba79e667d4a2efb72a305af, 2970ef2fce90c661952ec2b451b0276d5f8d6180, 977128343fc2a30737399b58df8ea77e94f164bd 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 cc5aa8e3ad69dcedeba79e667d4a2efb72a305af or 2970ef2fce90c661952ec2b451b0276d5f8d6180 or 977128343fc2a30737399b58df8ea77e94f164bd or a422ebec863d99d5607fb41bb7af3347fcb436d3, whichever matches your release line, or a later version.
- Update Linux Kernel to 6.1.120 or 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 | 3281ebb3dc5ef19507e65523e9f8c00e20b285ca up to, but not including, cc5aa8e3ad69dcedeba79e667d4a2efb72a305af; dcafa5a8452738eb28085f559b0683d55e22b2f5 up to, but not including, 2970ef2fce90c661952ec2b451b0276d5f8d6180; a6df95cae40bee555e01a37b4023ce8e97ffa249 up to, but not including, 977128343fc2a30737399b58df8ea77e94f164bd; a6df95cae40bee555e01a37b4023ce8e97ffa249 up to, but not including, a422ebec863d99d5607fb41bb7af3347fcb436d3; a6df95cae40bee555e01a37b4023ce8e97ffa249 up to, but not including, b09512aea6223eec756f52aa584fc29eeab57480; a6df95cae40bee555e01a37b4023ce8e97ffa249 up to, but not including, 7ac9f3c981eeceee2ec4d30d850f4a6f50a1ec40; a6df95cae40bee555e01a37b4023ce8e97ffa249 up to, but not including, 03819abbeb11117dcbba40bfe322b88c0c88a6b6; 5.10.252 up to, but not including, 5.10.258; and 2 more ranges | cc5aa8e3ad69dcedeba79e667d4a2efb72a305af, 2970ef2fce90c661952ec2b451b0276d5f8d6180, 977128343fc2a30737399b58df8ea77e94f164bd, a422ebec863d99d5607fb41bb7af3347fcb436d3, b09512aea6223eec756f52aa584fc29eeab57480, 7ac9f3c981eeceee2ec4d30d850f4a6f50a1ec40 |
| Linux | Linux Kernel | 5.17 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, 6.12.2 | 6.1.120, 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: net: usb: lan78xx: Fix double free issue with interrupt buffer allocation In lan78xx_probe(), the buffer `buf` was being freed twice: once implicitly through `usb_free_urb(dev->urb_intr)` with the `URB_FREE_BUFFER` flag and again explicitly by `kfree(buf)`. This caused a double free issue. To resolve this, reordered `kmalloc()` and `usb_alloc_urb()` calls to simplify the initialization sequence and removed the redundant `kfree(buf)`. Now, `buf` is allocated after `usb_alloc_urb()`, ensuring it is correctly managed by `usb_fill_int_urb()` and freed by `usb_free_urb()` as intended.
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
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/03819abbeb11117dcbba40bfe322b88c0c88a6b6
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ac9f3c981eeceee2ec4d30d850f4a6f50a1ec40
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/977128343fc2a30737399b58df8ea77e94f164bd
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a422ebec863d99d5607fb41bb7af3347fcb436d3
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b09512aea6223eec756f52aa584fc29eeab57480
Other references
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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