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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-24861

MEDIUM · 6.3 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-02-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 6.7.2 or later.
See remediation →
65/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click

Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.

NVD · unedited
A race condition was found in the Linux kernel's media/xc4000 device driver in xc4000 xc4000_get_frequency() function. This can result in return value overflow issue, possibly leading to malfunction or denial of service issue.

Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.

dbcve analysis · moderate confidence

A race condition in the Linux kernel's xc4000 DTV tuner driver (media/xc4000) within the xc4000_get_frequency() function can cause a return value overflow. This occurs when concurrent access to shared state is not properly synchronized, potentially resulting in incorrect frequency values being returned or a denial of service via system instability.

MitigationApply the upstream kernel patch which adds proper synchronization (typically a mutex or spinlock) around the frequency calculation in xc4000_get_frequency() to prevent the race condition. Alternatively, upgrade to a kernel version containing the fix.

Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.

Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.

NVD · CPE data
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:<= 3.0.101>= 6.0, <= 6.7.2= 3.1= 6.8

CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.

From the vector
Attack vector
Local
Complexity
High
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
High
Availability
High

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

Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.

dbcve checks

Work through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.

  1. Check kernel version against affected ranges
    Run `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version` to get the running kernel version. Compare this version number against the affected ranges: <= 3.0.101, = 3.1, >= 6.0 through <= 6.7.2, or = 6.8
    Affected if The kernel version falls within any of these ranges: <= 3.0.101, = 3.1, 6.0-6.7.2, or 6.8
  2. Determine if xc4000 hardware is present
    Check for xc4000 tuner hardware on the system using `lspci | grep -i tuner`, `lsusb`, or check dmesg output for xc4000 messages. This is a DTV tuner chip commonly found in some TV tuner cards or set-top box hardware
    Affected if xc4000 tuner hardware is detected on the system
  3. Check if xc4000 driver is loaded
    Run `lsmod | grep xc4000` to check if the driver module is loaded, or check `modinfo xc4000` to verify driver presence. Also check `dmesg` for xc4000 driver initialization messages
    Affected if The xc4000 kernel module is loaded or was loaded at boot time
  4. Verify driver source code patch status
    If the kernel source is available, examine the xc4000 driver file (typically in drivers/media/tuners/xc4000.c) and look for the xc4000_get_frequency() function. Check whether proper synchronization primitives (mutex or spinlock) are present around the frequency calculation to prevent the race condition
    Affected if The driver source lacks proper locking around xc4000_get_frequency() and the kernel version is in the affected range

A system is affected only if it has an affected kernel version AND the xc4000 tuner hardware with the driver loaded, where the driver lacks the synchronization fix for the race condition in xc4000_get_frequency().

Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.

Check your environment

Paste your version and any relevant configuration and it will be compared against the affected criteria above. Do not include secrets or credentials.

AI-assisted, checked against the advisory. Informational, not a guarantee.

Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.

dbcve · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to a release after 6.7.2
Interim mitigation

Apply the upstream kernel patch which adds proper synchronization (typically a mutex or spinlock) around the frequency calculation in xc4000_get_frequency() to prevent the race condition. Alternatively, upgrade to a kernel version containing the fix.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

Linux Kernel 6.7.3+ or 6.8.1+ (for 6.x affected versions); Linux Kernel 3.2+ (for 3.x affected versions)

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using 'uname -r'
  2. 2. Check if the current version is within the affected range (<=3.0.101, =3.1, 6.0-6.7.2, or 6.8)
  3. 3. If affected, update the system package index: 'apt-get update' (Debian) or equivalent
  4. 4. Install a newer kernel version: 'apt-get install linux-image-<version>' (Debian) or 'yum install kernel-<version>' (RHEL)
  5. 5. For affected 6.x versions, upgrade to kernel version 6.7.3 or later, or 6.8.1 or later
  6. 6. For affected 3.x versions, upgrade to kernel version 3.2 or later
  7. 7. Reboot the system to load the new kernel: 'reboot'
  8. 8. Verify the new kernel version is running and is no longer in the affected list
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel modules and could have compatibility implications with custom drivers or specific hardware configurations

Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.

Fix this in Linux Kernel Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation6.0 h
  • Testing8.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
22.0 hours of engineering $3,800
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References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-24861 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

A place for practitioners to share what actually worked: a mitigation you’ve tested, a configuration change, a version- or environment-specific caveat, or a link to a verified patch. The most useful notes rise to the top as peers upvote them, so the signal stays high.

What belongs here
  • Verified mitigations, workarounds, and config changes
  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
  • No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
  • No spam, self-promotion, credentials, or personal data