Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-47794

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2025-01-11
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.5 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: bpf: Prevent tailcall infinite loop caused by freplace There is a potential infinite loop issue that can occur when using a combination of tail calls and freplace. In an upcoming selftest, the attach target for entry_freplace of tailcall_freplace.c is subprog_tc of tc_bpf2bpf.c, while the tail call in entry_freplace leads to entry_tc. This results in an infinite loop: entry_tc -> subprog_tc -> entry_freplace --tailcall-> entry_tc. The problem arises because the tail_call_cnt in entry_freplace resets to zero each time entry_freplace is executed, causing the tail call mechanism to never terminate, eventually leading to a kernel panic. To fix this issue, the solution is twofold: 1. Prevent updating a program extended by an freplace program to a prog_array map. 2. Prevent extending a program that is already part of a prog_array map with an freplace program. This ensures that: * If a program or its subprogram has been extended by an freplace program, it can no longer be updated to a prog_array map. * If a program has been added to a prog_array map, neither it nor its subprograms can be extended by an freplace program. Moreover, an extension program should not be tailcalled. As such, return -EINVAL if the program has a type of BPF_PROG_TYPE_EXT when adding it to a prog_array map. Additionally, fix a minor code style issue by replacing eight spaces with a tab for proper formatting.

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:>= 5.6, < 6.12.5

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 6.12.5 or later
Fixed in 6.12.5
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.12.5 or later

  1. Identify the current kernel version using 'uname -r' or 'cat /proc/version'
  2. Verify the current version is affected (>= 5.6 and < 6.12.5)
  3. Schedule a maintenance window for the kernel upgrade
  4. Update the Linux kernel to version 6.12.5 or later using the distribution's package manager (e.g., 'apt-get update && apt-get install linux-image-6.12.5' for Debian/Ubuntu, or 'yum update kernel' for RHEL/CentOS)
  5. Reboot the system to load the new kernel
  6. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the CVE is resolved
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require driver or module recompilation and could introduce compatibility issues with custom kernel modules or specific hardware drivers; ensure backup and test in staging environment first

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

Check whether your project pulls in CVE-2024-47794 — 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 sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-47794 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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