CVE-2024-42102

MEDIUM
Published Jul 30, 2024 Modified Nov 3, 2025 CWE-369

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Revert "mm/writeback: fix possible divide-by-zero in wb_dirty_limits(), again" Patch series "mm: Avoid possible overflows in dirty throttling". Dirty throttling logic assumes dirty limits in page units fit into 32-bits. This patch series makes sure this is true (see patch 2/2 for more details). This patch (of 2): This reverts commit 9319b647902cbd5cc884ac08a8a6d54ce111fc78. The commit is broken in several ways. Firstly, the removed (u64) cast from the multiplication will introduce a multiplication overflow on 32-bit archs if wb_thresh * bg_thresh >= 1<<32 (which is actually common - the default settings with 4GB of RAM will trigger this). Secondly, the div64_u64() is unnecessarily expensive on 32-bit archs. We have div64_ul() in case we want to be safe & cheap. Thirdly, if dirty thresholds are larger than 1<<32 pages, then dirty balancing is going to blow up in many other spectacular ways anyway so trying to fix one possible overflow is just moot.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

4.7
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-369 CWE-369

Affected Products

Vendor Product
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel
linux linux_kernel

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/000099d71648504fb9c7a4616f92c2b70c3e44ec https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/145faa3d03688cbb7bbaaecbd84c01539852942c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23a28f5f3f6ca1e4184bd0e9631cd0944cf1c807 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/253f9ea7e8e53a5176bd80ceb174907b10724c1a https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2820005edae13b140f2d54267d1bd6bb23915f59 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30139c702048f1097342a31302cbd3d478f50c63 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cbbe17a324437c0ff99881a3ee453da45b228a00 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6620df12cb6bdcad671d269debbb23573502f9d https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/000099d71648504fb9c7a4616f92c2b70c3e44ec https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/145faa3d03688cbb7bbaaecbd84c01539852942c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/23a28f5f3f6ca1e4184bd0e9631cd0944cf1c807 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/253f9ea7e8e53a5176bd80ceb174907b10724c1a https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2820005edae13b140f2d54267d1bd6bb23915f59 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/30139c702048f1097342a31302cbd3d478f50c63 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cbbe17a324437c0ff99881a3ee453da45b228a00 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f6620df12cb6bdcad671d269debbb23573502f9d

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-42102? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Revert "mm/writeback: fix possible divide-by-zero in wb_dirty_limits(), again" Patch series "mm: Avoid possible overflows in dirty throttling". Dirty throttling logic assumes dirty limits in page units fit into 32-bits. This patch series makes sure this is true (see patch 2/2 for more details). This patch (of 2): This reverts commit 9319b647902cbd5cc884ac08a8a6d54ce111fc78. The commit is broken in several ways. Firstly, the removed (u64) cast from the multiplication will introduce a multiplication overflow on 32-bit archs if wb_thresh * bg_thresh >= 1<<32 (which is actually common - the default settings with 4GB of RAM will trigger this). Secondly, the div64_u64() is unnecessarily expensive on 32-bit archs. We have div64_ul() in case we want to be safe & cheap. Thirdly, if dirty thresholds are larger than 1<<32 pages, then dirty balancing is going to blow up in many other spectacular ways anyway so trying to fix one possible overflow is just moot. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 4.7 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2024-42102? +
CVE-2024-42102 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 4.7 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.
What products are affected by CVE-2024-42102? +
CVE-2024-42102 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.
How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2024-42102? +
You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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