Linux KernelOperating system · Linux
CVE-2024-45016
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: netem: fix return value if duplicate enqueue fails There is a bug in netem_enqueue() introduced by commit 5845f706388a ("net: netem: fix skb length BUG_ON in __skb_to_sgvec") that can lead to a use-after-free. This commit made netem_enqueue() always return NET_XMIT_SUCCESS when a packet is duplicated, which can cause the parent qdisc's q.qlen to be mistakenly incremented. When this happens qlen_notify() may be skipped on the parent during destruction, leaving a dangling pointer for some classful qdiscs like DRR. There are two ways for the bug happen: - If the duplicated packet is dropped by rootq->enqueue() and then the original packet is also dropped. - If rootq->enqueue() sends the duplicated packet to a different qdisc and the original packet is dropped. In both cases NET_XMIT_SUCCESS is returned even though no packets are enqueued at the netem qdisc. The fix is to defer the enqueue of the duplicate packet until after the original packet has been guaranteed to return NET_XMIT_SUCCESS.
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
Linux KernelOperating system
>= 5.0, < 5.4.283>= 5.5, < 5.10.225>= 5.11, < 5.15.166>= 5.16, < 6.1.107>= 6.2, < 6.6.48>= 6.7, < 6.10.7= 6.11CVSS 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 · scoped5.4.2835.10.2255.15.166
Upgrade to kernel 5.4.283+ (5.4 branch), 5.10.225+ (5.10 branch), 5.15.166+ (5.15 branch), or 6.1.107+ (6.1 branch) - choose the appropriate version based on your current branch
- Identify the currently running Linux kernel version using `uname -r`
- Determine which kernel branch your current version belongs to (5.4.x, 5.10.x, 5.15.x, or 6.1.x)
- Upgrade to a kernel version that includes the fix: For 5.4.x branch: upgrade to 5.4.283 or later; For 5.10.x branch: upgrade to 5.10.225 or later; For 5.15.x branch: upgrade to 5.15.166 or later; For 6.1.x branch: upgrade to 6.1.107 or later
- Use your distribution's package manager to install the new kernel (e.g., `apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-<version>` for Debian/Ubuntu, or `yum update kernel` for RHEL/CentOS)
- Reboot the system to load the new kernel
- Verify the new kernel is running with `uname -r`
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-2024-45016 — 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-2024-45016 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
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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