CVE-2024-44973: linux kernel — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm, slub: do not call do_slab_free for kfence object In 782f8906f805 the freeing of kfence objects was moved from deep inside do_slab_free to the wrapper functions outside. This is a nice change, but unfortunately it missed one spot in __kmem_cache_free_bulk. This results in a crash like this: BUG skbuff_head_cache (Tainted: G S B E ): Padding overwritten. 0xffff88907fea0f00-0xffff88907fea0fff @offset=3840 slab_err (mm/slub.c:1129) free_to_partial_list (mm/slub.c:? mm/slub.c:4036) slab_pad_check (mm/slub.c:864 mm/slub.c:1290) check_slab (mm/slub.c:?) free_to_partial_list (mm/slub.c:3171 mm/slub.c:4036) kmem_cache_alloc_bulk (mm/slub.c:? mm/slub.c:4495 mm/slub.c:4586 mm/slub.c:4635) napi_build_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:348 net/core/skbuff.c:527 net/core/skbuff.c:549) All the other callers to do_slab_free appear to be ok. Add a kfence_free check in __kmem_cache_free_bulk to avoid the crash.

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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

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.8 — 6.10.5
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a371d558e6f3aed977a8a7346350557de5d25190 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b35cd7f1e969aaa63e6716d82480f6b8a3230949

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-44973? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm, slub: do not call do_slab_free for kfence object In 782f8906f805 the freeing of kfence objects was moved from deep inside do_slab_free to the wrapper functions outside. This is a nice change, but unfortunately it missed one spot in __kmem_cache_free_bulk. This results in a crash like this: BUG skbuff_head_cache (Tainted: G S B E ): Padding overwritten. 0xffff88907fea0f00-0xffff88907fea0fff @offset=3840 slab_err (mm/slub.c:1129) free_to_partial_list (mm/slub.c:? mm/slub.c:4036) slab_pad_check (mm/slub.c:864 mm/slub.c:1290) check_slab (mm/slub.c:?) free_to_partial_list (mm/slub.c:3171 mm/slub.c:4036) kmem_cache_alloc_bulk (mm/slub.c:? mm/slub.c:4495 mm/slub.c:4586 mm/slub.c:4635) napi_build_skb (net/core/skbuff.c:348 net/core/skbuff.c:527 net/core/skbuff.c:549) All the other callers to do_slab_free appear to be ok. Add a kfence_free check in __kmem_cache_free_bulk to avoid the crash. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-44973? +

CVE-2024-44973 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-2024-44973? +

CVE-2024-44973 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-2024-44973? +

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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CVE-2024-44973