Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-50257

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-11-09
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.15.171 / 6.1.116 or later.
See remediation →
80/100
Remediation priority · High
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: netfilter: Fix use-after-free in get_info() ip6table_nat module unload has refcnt warning for UAF. call trace is: WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 379 at kernel/module/main.c:853 module_put+0x6f/0x80 Modules linked in: ip6table_nat(-) CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 379 Comm: ip6tables Not tainted 6.12.0-rc4-00047-gc2ee9f594da8-dirty #205 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:module_put+0x6f/0x80 Call Trace: <TASK> get_info+0x128/0x180 do_ip6t_get_ctl+0x6a/0x430 nf_getsockopt+0x46/0x80 ipv6_getsockopt+0xb9/0x100 rawv6_getsockopt+0x42/0x190 do_sock_getsockopt+0xaa/0x180 __sys_getsockopt+0x70/0xc0 __x64_sys_getsockopt+0x20/0x30 do_syscall_64+0xa2/0x1a0 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Concurrent execution of module unload and get_info() trigered the warning. The root cause is as follows: cpu0 cpu1 module_exit //mod->state = MODULE_STATE_GOING ip6table_nat_exit xt_unregister_template kfree(t) //removed from templ_list getinfo() t = xt_find_table_lock list_for_each_entry(tmpl, &xt_templates[af]...) if (strcmp(tmpl->name, name)) continue; //table not found try_module_get list_for_each_entry(t, &xt_net->tables[af]...) return t; //not get refcnt module_put(t->me) //uaf unregister_pernet_subsys //remove table from xt_net list While xt_table module was going away and has been removed from xt_templates list, we couldnt get refcnt of xt_table->me. Check module in xt_net->tables list re-traversal to fix it.

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-416

Memory 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
Affected:>= 5.15, < 5.15.171>= 5.16, < 6.1.116>= 6.2, < 6.6.60>= 6.7, < 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
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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 5.15.171 / 6.1.116 / 6.6.60 or later
Fixed in 5.15.1716.1.1166.6.60
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel >= 5.15.171, >= 6.1.116, >= 6.6.60, or >= 6.11.7 (choose the appropriate release branch for your environment)

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to a fixed version: 5.15.171, 6.1.116, 6.6.60, or 6.11.7 or later, depending on your current branch.
  2. After upgrading, verify the kernel version matches one of these fixed releases: >= 5.15.171, >= 6.1.116, >= 6.6.60, or >= 6.11.7.
  3. Reboot the system to load the fixed kernel.
  4. Verify the ip6table_nat module loads correctly and the UAF warning no longer appears in kernel logs (dmesg).
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching kernel modules and can introduce regressions; test in staging 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 $3,200. Get the upgrade done

Scan for this in your stack

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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-2024-50257 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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What this is

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