CVE-2024-26804
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 · uneditedIn the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: ip_tunnel: prevent perpetual headroom growth syzkaller triggered following kasan splat: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in __skb_flow_dissect+0x19d1/0x7a50 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1170 Read of size 1 at addr ffff88812fb4000e by task syz-executor183/5191 [..] kasan_report+0xda/0x110 mm/kasan/report.c:588 __skb_flow_dissect+0x19d1/0x7a50 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1170 skb_flow_dissect_flow_keys include/linux/skbuff.h:1514 [inline] ___skb_get_hash net/core/flow_dissector.c:1791 [inline] __skb_get_hash+0xc7/0x540 net/core/flow_dissector.c:1856 skb_get_hash include/linux/skbuff.h:1556 [inline] ip_tunnel_xmit+0x1855/0x33c0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:748 ipip_tunnel_xmit+0x3cc/0x4e0 net/ipv4/ipip.c:308 __netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4940 [inline] netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4954 [inline] xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3548 [inline] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x13d/0x6d0 net/core/dev.c:3564 __dev_queue_xmit+0x7c1/0x3d60 net/core/dev.c:4349 dev_queue_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:3134 [inline] neigh_connected_output+0x42c/0x5d0 net/core/neighbour.c:1592 ... ip_finish_output2+0x833/0x2550 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:235 ip_finish_output+0x31/0x310 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:323 .. iptunnel_xmit+0x5b4/0x9b0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:82 ip_tunnel_xmit+0x1dbc/0x33c0 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:831 ipgre_xmit+0x4a1/0x980 net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:665 __netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4940 [inline] netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4954 [inline] xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3548 [inline] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x13d/0x6d0 net/core/dev.c:3564 ... The splat occurs because skb->data points past skb->head allocated area. This is because neigh layer does: __skb_pull(skb, skb_network_offset(skb)); ... but skb_network_offset() returns a negative offset and __skb_pull() arg is unsigned. IOW, we skb->data gets "adjusted" by a huge value. The negative value is returned because skb->head and skb->data distance is more than 64k and skb->network_header (u16) has wrapped around. The bug is in the ip_tunnel infrastructure, which can cause dev->needed_headroom to increment ad infinitum. The syzkaller reproducer consists of packets getting routed via a gre tunnel, and route of gre encapsulated packets pointing at another (ipip) tunnel. The ipip encapsulation finds gre0 as next output device. This results in the following pattern: 1). First packet is to be sent out via gre0. Route lookup found an output device, ipip0. 2). ip_tunnel_xmit for gre0 bumps gre0->needed_headroom based on the future output device, rt.dev->needed_headroom (ipip0). 3). ip output / start_xmit moves skb on to ipip0. which runs the same code path again (xmit recursion). 4). Routing step for the post-gre0-encap packet finds gre0 as output device to use for ipip0 encapsulated packet. tunl0->needed_headroom is then incremented based on the (already bumped) gre0 device headroom. This repeats for every future packet: gre0->needed_headroom gets inflated because previous packets' ipip0 step incremented rt->dev (gre0) headroom, and ipip0 incremented because gre0 needed_headroom was increased. For each subsequent packet, gre/ipip0->needed_headroom grows until post-expand-head reallocations result in a skb->head/data distance of more than 64k. Once that happens, skb->network_header (u16) wraps around when pskb_expand_head tries to make sure that skb_network_offset() is unchanged after the headroom expansion/reallocation. After this skb_network_offset(skb) returns a different (and negative) result post headroom expansion. The next trip to neigh layer (or anything else that would __skb_pull the network header) makes skb->data point to a memory location outside skb->head area. v2: Cap the needed_headroom update to an arbitarily chosen upperlimit to prevent perpetual increase instead of dropping the headroom increment completely.
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 analysisMemory is used after it has been freed, so its contents — now potentially attacker-controlled — drive the program's behaviour. With careful heap grooming this becomes code execution. The fix requires disciplined ownership of memory and often a targeted rework of the object lifecycle.
General guidance for the use after free class — the official description and references above are authoritative for this specific CVE. Want a bespoke review and a reviewed fix? Ask our team →
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>= 2.6.34, < 5.4.271>= 5.5, < 5.10.212>= 5.11, < 5.15.151>= 5.16, < 6.1.81>= 6.2, < 6.6.21>= 6.7, < 6.7.9= 6.8= 10.0CVSS 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
- Low
- Privileges
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- High
- Integrity
- High
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
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 · scoped5.4.2715.10.2125.15.151
Linux Kernel 5.4.271+, 5.10.212+, 5.15.151+, or 6.1.81+ (or Debian 11+ with fixed kernel)
- Identify your current Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
- For Debian 10 (Buster), check if a vendor backport is available via `apt-cache policy linux-image-*` or consider upgrading to Debian 11/12 which include fixed kernels
- For upstream kernels: upgrade to a patched release: 5.4.271 or later for 5.4.x, 5.10.212 or later for 5.10.x, 5.15.151 or later for 5.15.x, or 6.1.81 or later for 6.1.x
- After kernel upgrade, reboot to apply the new kernel
- Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches one of the fixed releases
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-26804 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-26804 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.
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.
- 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