Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-50021

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-10-21
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.11.4 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: ice: Fix improper handling of refcount in ice_dpll_init_rclk_pins() This patch addresses a reference count handling issue in the ice_dpll_init_rclk_pins() function. The function calls ice_dpll_get_pins(), which increments the reference count of the relevant resources. However, if the condition WARN_ON((!vsi || !vsi->netdev)) is met, the function currently returns an error without properly releasing the resources acquired by ice_dpll_get_pins(), leading to a reference count leak. To resolve this, the check has been moved to the top of the function. This ensures that the function verifies the state before any resources are acquired, avoiding the need for additional resource management in the error path. This bug was identified by an experimental static analysis tool developed by our team. The tool specializes in analyzing reference count operations and detecting potential issues where resources are not properly managed. In this case, the tool flagged the missing release operation as a potential problem, which led to the development of this patch.

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

A detailed technical summary for this CVE is being prepared.

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:>= 6.7, < 6.11.4= 6.12

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
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 6.11.4 or later
Fixed in 6.11.4
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.11.4 or later / 6.13+

  1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. Check if the version is within the affected range: >= 6.7 and < 6.11.4, or exactly 6.12
  3. Upgrade the kernel to version 6.11.4 or later, or to a version beyond 6.12 (such as 6.13 or later) that includes the fix
  4. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel
  5. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and reviewing the patch commit aefecead9d08f4a35ab6f51ba2e408d2cef4e31d
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require driver recompilation or system reboots; ensure compatibility with existing system configuration and installed modules

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-2024-50021 — 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-2024-50021 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