Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-43856

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-08-17
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.19.320 / 5.4.282 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: dma: fix call order in dmam_free_coherent dmam_free_coherent() frees a DMA allocation, which makes the freed vaddr available for reuse, then calls devres_destroy() to remove and free the data structure used to track the DMA allocation. Between the two calls, it is possible for a concurrent task to make an allocation with the same vaddr and add it to the devres list. If this happens, there will be two entries in the devres list with the same vaddr and devres_destroy() can free the wrong entry, triggering the WARN_ON() in dmam_match. Fix by destroying the devres entry before freeing the DMA allocation. kokonut //net/encryption http://sponge2/b9145fe6-0f72-4325-ac2f-a84d81075b03

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-770

The application allocates memory, connections, or handles in response to a request without enforcing any cap, so a modest amount of malicious traffic exhausts the resource and denies service to everyone else. The fix is enforcing quotas, limits, and timeouts on what any single request or client can consume.

General guidance for the resource allocation without limits 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:>= 2.6.21, < 4.19.320>= 4.20, < 5.4.282>= 5.5, < 5.10.224>= 5.11, < 5.15.165>= 5.16, < 6.1.103>= 6.2, < 6.6.44>= 6.7, < 6.10.3

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 4.19.320 / 5.4.282 / 5.10.224 or later
Fixed in 4.19.3205.4.2825.10.224
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel version 4.19.320+ (for 4.19.x base), 5.4.282+ (for 5.4.x base), 5.10.224+ (for 5.10.x base), or 5.15.165+ (for 5.15.x base)

  1. Identify the current kernel version using `uname -r` or `cat /proc/version`
  2. Download or obtain the kernel source for your current version from https://www.kernel.org/
  3. Apply the fix by modifying the `dmam_free_coherent` function in the appropriate DMA-related source file (typically in `lib/dma-debug.c` or similar DMA management code)
  4. The fix involves reordering the calls: call `devres_destroy()` BEFORE `dma_free_coherent()` instead of after
  5. Alternatively, if your distribution provides kernel updates, upgrade to version 4.19.320 or higher, 5.4.282 or higher, 5.10.224 or higher, or 5.15.165 or higher depending on your base version
  6. Reboot into the patched/updated kernel and verify the fix resolves the race condition

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
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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-2024-43856 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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