CVE-2024-44971

MEDIUM
Published Sep 4, 2024 Modified Nov 3, 2025 CWE-401

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: dsa: bcm_sf2: Fix a possible memory leak in bcm_sf2_mdio_register() bcm_sf2_mdio_register() calls of_phy_find_device() and then phy_device_remove() in a loop to remove existing PHY devices. of_phy_find_device() eventually calls bus_find_device(), which calls get_device() on the returned struct device * to increment the refcount. The current implementation does not decrement the refcount, which causes memory leak. This commit adds the missing phy_device_free() call to decrement the refcount via put_device() to balance the refcount.

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5
MEDIUM
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-401 CWE-401

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-44971? +
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: dsa: bcm_sf2: Fix a possible memory leak in bcm_sf2_mdio_register() bcm_sf2_mdio_register() calls of_phy_find_device() and then phy_device_remove() in a loop to remove existing PHY devices. of_phy_find_device() eventually calls bus_find_device(), which calls get_device() on the returned struct device * to increment the refcount. The current implementation does not decrement the refcount, which causes memory leak. This commit adds the missing phy_device_free() call to decrement the refcount via put_device() to balance the refcount. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).
How severe is CVE-2024-44971? +
CVE-2024-44971 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 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-2024-44971? +
CVE-2024-44971 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-2024-44971? +
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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