Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-41088

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-07-29
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.1.97 / 6.6.37 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: can: mcp251xfd: fix infinite loop when xmit fails When the mcp251xfd_start_xmit() function fails, the driver stops processing messages, and the interrupt routine does not return, running indefinitely even after killing the running application. Error messages: [ 441.298819] mcp251xfd spi2.0 can0: ERROR in mcp251xfd_start_xmit: -16 [ 441.306498] mcp251xfd spi2.0 can0: Transmit Event FIFO buffer not empty. (seq=0x000017c7, tef_tail=0x000017cf, tef_head=0x000017d0, tx_head=0x000017d3). ... and repeat forever. The issue can be triggered when multiple devices share the same SPI interface. And there is concurrent access to the bus. The problem occurs because tx_ring->head increments even if mcp251xfd_start_xmit() fails. Consequently, the driver skips one TX package while still expecting a response in mcp251xfd_handle_tefif_one(). Resolve the issue by starting a workqueue to write the tx obj synchronously if err = -EBUSY. In case of another error, decrement tx_ring->head, remove skb from the echo stack, and drop the message. [mkl: use more imperative wording in patch description]

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-835

Crafted input drives a loop whose exit condition is never satisfied, hanging the thread and starving the service of the resource it occupies. A single request can be enough to take a worker down. Remediation is bounding iteration counts and validating the conditions that are supposed to terminate the loop.

General guidance for the infinite loop 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:>= 5.10, < 6.1.97>= 6.2, < 6.6.37>= 6.7, < 6.9.8

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
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 6.1.97 / 6.6.37 / 6.9.8 or later
Fixed in 6.1.976.6.376.9.8
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.9.8 or later (6.9.y stable), or 6.6.37+ (6.6.y), or 6.1.97+ (6.1.y LTS) depending on current branch

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Check if the current version falls within an affected range: >= 5.10 and < 6.1.97, OR >= 6.2 and < 6.6.37, OR >= 6.7 and < 6.9.8
  3. 3. If affected, upgrade the Linux kernel to a patched release:
  4. - For 5.10.x series: upgrade to 6.1.97 or later in the 6.1.y stable series
  5. - For 6.2.x - 6.5.x series: upgrade to 6.6.37 or later in the 6.6.y stable series
  6. - For 6.7.x - 6.9.x series: upgrade to 6.9.8 or later in the 6.9.y stable series
  7. 4. For Debian systems, apply updates via: `apt-get update && apt-get upgrade linux-image-*`
  8. 5. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
Caveat Kernel upgrade may require reboot and could introduce compatibility issues with custom modules or older drivers; ensure backup of critical data before upgrading

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

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

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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-2024-41088 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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What belongs here
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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