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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-26901

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-04-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.19.311 / 5.4.273 or later.
See remediation →
57/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
Zero-click Patch available

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
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: do_sys_name_to_handle(): use kzalloc() to fix kernel-infoleak syzbot identified a kernel information leak vulnerability in do_sys_name_to_handle() and issued the following report [1]. [1] "BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:114 [inline] BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in _copy_to_user+0xbc/0x100 lib/usercopy.c:40 instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:114 [inline] _copy_to_user+0xbc/0x100 lib/usercopy.c:40 copy_to_user include/linux/uaccess.h:191 [inline] do_sys_name_to_handle fs/fhandle.c:73 [inline] __do_sys_name_to_handle_at fs/fhandle.c:112 [inline] __se_sys_name_to_handle_at+0x949/0xb10 fs/fhandle.c:94 __x64_sys_name_to_handle_at+0xe4/0x140 fs/fhandle.c:94 ... Uninit was created at: slab_post_alloc_hook+0x129/0xa70 mm/slab.h:768 slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3478 [inline] __kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x5c9/0x970 mm/slub.c:3517 __do_kmalloc_node mm/slab_common.c:1006 [inline] __kmalloc+0x121/0x3c0 mm/slab_common.c:1020 kmalloc include/linux/slab.h:604 [inline] do_sys_name_to_handle fs/fhandle.c:39 [inline] __do_sys_name_to_handle_at fs/fhandle.c:112 [inline] __se_sys_name_to_handle_at+0x441/0xb10 fs/fhandle.c:94 __x64_sys_name_to_handle_at+0xe4/0x140 fs/fhandle.c:94 ... Bytes 18-19 of 20 are uninitialized Memory access of size 20 starts at ffff888128a46380 Data copied to user address 0000000020000240" Per Chuck Lever's suggestion, use kzalloc() instead of kmalloc() to solve the problem.

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
How this class of weakness works · CWE-908

Memory or a resource is used before it has been initialised, so its contents are whatever happened to be there — sometimes leaking earlier data, sometimes values an attacker can influence. Behaviour becomes unpredictable and occasionally exploitable. Remediation is initialising every resource before use and ensuring initialisation happens on all code paths.

General guidance for the use of uninitialized resource 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
Linux KernelOperating system
Affected:>= 2.6.39, < 4.19.311>= 4.20, < 5.4.273>= 5.5, < 5.10.214>= 5.11, < 5.15.153>= 5.16, < 6.1.83>= 6.2, < 6.6.23>= 6.7, < 6.7.11>= 6.8, < 6.8.2

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
Low
Privileges
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
None
Integrity
None
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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 · scoped
Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.19.311 / 5.4.273 / 5.10.214 or later
Fixed in 4.19.3115.4.2735.10.214
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 4.19.311, 5.4.273, 5.10.214, or 5.15.153 (or any later stable release)

  1. 1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. 2. Determine which stable branch applies to your current kernel version from the affected ranges (>= 2.6.39, < 4.19.311; >= 4.20, < 5.4.273; >= 5.5, < 5.10.214; >= 5.11, < 5.15.153)
  3. 3. Upgrade the Linux kernel to the appropriate fixed version: 4.19.311+, 5.4.273+, 5.10.214+, or 5.15.153+
  4. 4. For Ubuntu/Debian: Use `apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade` or install specific kernel package via `apt-get install linux-image-<version>`
  5. 5. For RHEL/CentOS: Use `yum update kernel` or `dnf update kernel`
  6. 6. For SUSE: Use `zypper update kernel-default`
  7. 7. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  8. 8. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming it matches or exceeds the fixed versions listed above
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility implications with proprietary kernel modules or specific driver requirements; test in staging environment before production deployment

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

We can perform the upgrade in your staging environment and verify nothing breaks — typical engagement from $1,600. Get the upgrade done

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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-2024-26901 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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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
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