dbcve.org
Grub2Application · Gnu

CVE-2024-45780

MEDIUM · 6.7 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-03-03
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to after 2.12 or later.
See remediation →
69/100
Remediation priority · Elevated
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
A flaw was found in grub2. When reading tar files, grub2 allocates an internal buffer for the file name. However, it fails to properly verify the allocation against possible integer overflows. It's possible to cause the allocation length to overflow with a crafted tar file, leading to a heap out-of-bounds write. This flaw eventually allows an attacker to circumvent secure boot protections.

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

Heap overflow vulnerability in grub2's tar file parser. When reading tar files, grub2 allocates a buffer for filenames but lacks proper integer overflow validation, allowing a crafted tar file to cause allocation length to overflow and write beyond the allocated heap buffer, enabling secure boot bypass.

MitigationUpdate to grub2 version with integer overflow fix, rebuild and re-sign bootloader for secure boot environments; avoid loading untrusted tar files via grub.

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
Grub2Application
Affected:<= 2.12

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

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:H/UI:N/S:U/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. Identify installed grub2 version
    Run 'grub2-install --version' or 'grub-install --version' to see the installed grub2 version. On distributions using systemd, also check /usr/bin/grub2-version or /boot/efi/EFI/*/grubx64.efi version metadata if available.
    Affected if The installed version is 2.12 or lower, meaning the integer overflow vulnerability exists in the tar parser.
  2. Locate and inspect grub modules
    List the modules in /boot/grub2/x86_64-efi/ or /usr/lib/grub/x86_64-efi/ (path varies by distribution). Check for 'tar.mod' to confirm the tar module exists.
    Affected if The tar module is present, indicating the vulnerable tar parsing code could be loaded.
  3. Check if tar module is loaded in grub config
    Inspect /boot/grub2/grub.cfg or /boot/efi/EFI/*/grub.cfg for 'insmod tar' or 'module' statements loading the tar module. Also check /etc/grub.d/* for custom menu entries.
    Affected if The tar module is explicitly loaded or configured, meaning the vulnerable code path can be triggered when parsing tar files.
  4. Assess secure boot configuration
    Check if secure boot is enabled by running 'mokutil --sb-state' or checking UEFI firmware settings. In secure boot environments, a compromised grub2 loader can bypass secure boot chain.
    Affected if Secure boot is enabled and the system uses signed grub2 bootloaders, making this vulnerability exploitable for secure boot bypass.
  5. Check for untrusted tar file loading vectors
    Review grub menu entries and boot scripts for references to tar files (commands like 'tar -C', 'linux', 'initrd' with tar archives, or custom menu entries loading tar files from network or removable media.
    Affected if The system loads tar files through grub (such as via 'tar' command, embedded initrds, or custom scripts), creating an attack surface for this vulnerability.

You are affected if your installed grub2 version is 2.12 or lower, the tar module is loaded or could be loaded, and the system either loads tar files through grub or uses secure boot with signed grub2 (making the heap overflow exploitable for bypass).

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 a release after 2.12
Interim mitigation

Update to grub2 version with integer overflow fix, rebuild and re-sign bootloader for secure boot environments; avoid loading untrusted tar files via grub.

Recommended fix Moderate confidence

grub2 version greater than 2.12 (or version with CVE-2024-45780 patch applied)

  1. Update grub2 package to the latest available version from your distribution's secure repository
  2. Verify the installed grub2 version is greater than 2.12 or contains the security patch for the integer overflow fix
  3. Regenerate Secure Boot signatures if using UEFI Secure Boot (re-sign the grubx64.efi or similar bootloader with sbsigntool)
  4. Reboot the system to ensure the updated bootloader is loaded
Caveat Upgrading grub2 may require re-signing the bootloader for Secure Boot environments; ensure you have fallback boot options available

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

Fix this in Grub2 Scoped from the published advisory
  • Consultation4.0 h
  • Implementation8.0 h
  • Testing12.0 h
  • Review / QA4.0 h
28.0 hours of engineering $4,760
Get the upgrade done

An estimate, not a bill — we confirm scope with you before any work starts. Need it this week? Rush from $7,616.

Scan for this in your stack

Free · runs locally
dbcve dependency scanner

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-45780 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.

Get it on GitHub Scan in the browser

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-2024-45780 in production — separate from our analysis above.

No notes yet

Be the first to add a field note for this CVE — a mitigation you’ve verified, a version caveat, or a link to a working fix. Sign in above to contribute.

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