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FreeBSDOperating system

CVE-2024-43110

HIGH · 8.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-09-05
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 13.3 or later.
See remediation →
90/100
Remediation priority · Urgent
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
The ctl_request_sense function could expose up to three bytes of the kernel heap to userspace. Malicious software running in a guest VM that exposes virtio_scsi can exploit the vulnerabilities to achieve code execution on the host in the bhyve userspace process, which typically runs as root. Note that bhyve runs in a Capsicum sandbox, so malicious code is constrained by the capabilities available to the bhyve process. A malicious iSCSI initiator could achieve remote code execution on the iSCSI target host.

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 · high confidence

A heap memory disclosure vulnerability in the ctl_request_sense function within bhyve's virtio_scsi implementation allows a malicious guest VM to expose up to three bytes of kernel heap memory to userspace. This information leak can be leveraged alongside other vulnerabilities to achieve code execution on the host in the bhyve userspace process (which runs as root, though constrained by Capsicum sandbox). A malicious iSCSI initiator could also achieve remote code execution on the iSCSI target host.

MitigationApply the vendor patch for CVE-2024-43110 to the bhyve hypervisor code. If using FreeBSD, update to the patched version. For iSCSI targets, ensure only trusted initiators are permitted and consider network segmentation.

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
FreeBSDOperating system
Affected:>= 13.0, < 13.3= 13.3= 13.4= 14.0= 14.1

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
Changed
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/C:H/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 FreeBSD version
    Run 'uname -r' or 'freebsd-version -k' to get the installed FreeBSD version
    Affected if The version matches >= 13.0, < 13.3; = 13.3; = 13.4; = 14.0; or = 14.1
  2. Verify bhyve is installed
    Run 'which bhyve' or 'pkg info bhyve' to confirm bhyve hypervisor is installed
    Affected if bhyve is installed on the system
  3. Identify running bhyve VMs
    Run 'bhyvectl --list' or check for running bhyve processes with 'ps aux | grep bhyve'
    Affected if Any bhyve VMs are currently running on the host
  4. Check VM configurations for virtio_scsi
    Inspect VM configuration files (typically in /etc/bhyve or /vm) for '-s X:0,virtio-scsi' or similar virtio_scsi device specifications
    Affected if Any VM is configured with virtio_scsi disks (the vulnerable component)
  5. Check if guest has SCSI device access
    Examine the VM's device configuration to confirm the guest has access to a virtio-scsi controller or SCSI device
    Affected if The guest VM has a virtio_scsi controller attached, which is required for the vulnerable code path to be exercised

A system is affected if it runs FreeBSD 13.0-14.1 with bhyve installed and has a running VM configured with virtio_scsi disks, allowing a malicious guest to leak heap memory via the ctl_request_sense function.

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 13.3 or later
Fixed in 13.3
Interim mitigation

Apply the vendor patch for CVE-2024-43110 to the bhyve hypervisor code. If using FreeBSD, update to the patched version. For iSCSI targets, ensure only trusted initiators are permitted and consider network segmentation.

Recommended fix High confidence

FreeBSD 14.1 or later (for 14.x branch); FreeBSD 13.5 or later (for 13.x branch)

  1. Back up all critical data and configurations before proceeding
  2. Update the FreeBSD package repository by running: pkg update
  3. Upgrade the FreeBSD kernel and world by running: freebsd-update fetch install
  4. Reboot the system to load the patched kernel
  5. Verify the running kernel version matches the patched release using: uname -a
  6. For bhyve guests, ensure virtio_scsi is properly configured with current FreeBSD versions
Caveat Standard FreeBSD upgrade risks apply - review /usr/src/UPDATING for any compatibility notes before upgrading

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

Fix this in FreeBSD Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation2.0 h
  • Implementation4.0 h
  • Testing6.0 h
  • Review / QA3.0 h
15.0 hours of engineering $2,560
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An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $4,096.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
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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-2024-43110 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

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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