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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-50212

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.11.7 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: lib: alloc_tag_module_unload must wait for pending kfree_rcu calls Ben Greear reports following splat: ------------[ cut here ]------------ net/netfilter/nf_nat_core.c:1114 module nf_nat func:nf_nat_register_fn has 256 allocated at module unload WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 10421 at lib/alloc_tag.c:168 alloc_tag_module_unload+0x22b/0x3f0 Modules linked in: nf_nat(-) btrfs ufs qnx4 hfsplus hfs minix vfat msdos fat ... Hardware name: Default string Default string/SKYBAY, BIOS 5.12 08/04/2020 RIP: 0010:alloc_tag_module_unload+0x22b/0x3f0 codetag_unload_module+0x19b/0x2a0 ? codetag_load_module+0x80/0x80 nf_nat module exit calls kfree_rcu on those addresses, but the free operation is likely still pending by the time alloc_tag checks for leaks. Wait for outstanding kfree_rcu operations to complete before checking resolves this warning. Reproducer: unshare -n iptables-nft -t nat -A PREROUTING -p tcp grep nf_nat /proc/allocinfo # will list 4 allocations rmmod nft_chain_nat rmmod nf_nat # will WARN. [[email protected]: add comment]

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-401

Allocated memory is never released on some path, so a long-running service or a repeatedly triggered request steadily consumes memory until performance degrades or the process crashes. Attackers exploit it by simply driving the leaking path. Remediation is pairing every allocation with a release and using ownership patterns or tooling to catch what leaks.

General guidance for the memory leak 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:>= 6.10, < 6.11.7= 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 6.11.7 or later
Fixed in 6.11.7
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.11.7 or later (6.11.y stable) or 6.12.1 or later (6.12.y stable)

  1. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.11.7 or later for the 6.11.y stable branch
  2. If using kernel 6.12.x, upgrade to version 6.12.1 or later once available
  3. After kernel upgrade, reboot the system to load the new kernel
  4. Verify the fix by running the reproducer: unload nf_nat module after creating NAT rules and confirm no warning is produced
Caveat Kernel upgrades carry standard risks; ensure backups and test in non-production environments 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

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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-2024-50212 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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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
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