Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-53166

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.6.64 / 6.11.11 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: block, bfq: fix bfqq uaf in bfq_limit_depth() Set new allocated bfqq to bic or remove freed bfqq from bic are both protected by bfqd->lock, however bfq_limit_depth() is deferencing bfqq from bic without the lock, this can lead to UAF if the io_context is shared by multiple tasks. For example, test bfq with io_uring can trigger following UAF in v6.6: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in bfqq_group+0x15/0x50 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x47/0x80 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x66/0x300 print_report+0x3e/0x70 kasan_report+0xb4/0xf0 bfqq_group+0x15/0x50 bfqq_request_over_limit+0x130/0x9a0 bfq_limit_depth+0x1b5/0x480 __blk_mq_alloc_requests+0x2b5/0xa00 blk_mq_get_new_requests+0x11d/0x1d0 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x286/0xb00 submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x331/0x400 __block_write_full_folio+0x3d0/0x640 writepage_cb+0x3b/0xc0 write_cache_pages+0x254/0x6c0 write_cache_pages+0x254/0x6c0 do_writepages+0x192/0x310 filemap_fdatawrite_wbc+0x95/0xc0 __filemap_fdatawrite_range+0x99/0xd0 filemap_write_and_wait_range.part.0+0x4d/0xa0 blkdev_read_iter+0xef/0x1e0 io_read+0x1b6/0x8a0 io_issue_sqe+0x87/0x300 io_wq_submit_work+0xeb/0x390 io_worker_handle_work+0x24d/0x550 io_wq_worker+0x27f/0x6c0 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 </TASK> Allocated by task 808602: kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 kasan_set_track+0x21/0x30 __kasan_slab_alloc+0x83/0x90 kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x1b1/0x6d0 bfq_get_queue+0x138/0xfa0 bfq_get_bfqq_handle_split+0xe3/0x2c0 bfq_init_rq+0x196/0xbb0 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0xb5/0x480 bfq_insert_requests+0x156/0x180 blk_mq_insert_request+0x15d/0x440 blk_mq_submit_bio+0x8a4/0xb00 submit_bio_noacct_nocheck+0x331/0x400 __blkdev_direct_IO_async+0x2dd/0x330 blkdev_write_iter+0x39a/0x450 io_write+0x22a/0x840 io_issue_sqe+0x87/0x300 io_wq_submit_work+0xeb/0x390 io_worker_handle_work+0x24d/0x550 io_wq_worker+0x27f/0x6c0 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 Freed by task 808589: kasan_save_stack+0x1e/0x40 kasan_set_track+0x21/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x27/0x40 __kasan_slab_free+0x126/0x1b0 kmem_cache_free+0x10c/0x750 bfq_put_queue+0x2dd/0x770 __bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0x155/0x7a0 bfq_insert_request.isra.0+0x122/0x480 bfq_insert_requests+0x156/0x180 blk_mq_dispatch_plug_list+0x528/0x7e0 blk_mq_flush_plug_list.part.0+0xe5/0x590 __blk_flush_plug+0x3b/0x90 blk_finish_plug+0x40/0x60 do_writepages+0x19d/0x310 filemap_fdatawrite_wbc+0x95/0xc0 __filemap_fdatawrite_range+0x99/0xd0 filemap_write_and_wait_range.part.0+0x4d/0xa0 blkdev_read_iter+0xef/0x1e0 io_read+0x1b6/0x8a0 io_issue_sqe+0x87/0x300 io_wq_submit_work+0xeb/0x390 io_worker_handle_work+0x24d/0x550 io_wq_worker+0x27f/0x6c0 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1b/0x30 Fix the problem by protecting bic_to_bfqq() with bfqd->lock.

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:>= 5.17, < 6.6.64>= 6.7, < 6.11.11>= 6.12, < 6.12.2

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 6.6.64 / 6.11.11 / 6.12.2 or later
Fixed in 6.6.646.11.116.12.2
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

6.6.64, 6.11.11, or 6.12.2 (depending on current branch)

  1. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.6.64 or later if currently on 6.6.x branch
  2. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.11.11 or later if currently on 6.7-6.11.x branch
  3. Upgrade Linux kernel to version 6.12.2 or later if currently on 6.12.x branch
  4. After upgrading, verify the running kernel version matches the expected fixed version using `uname -r`
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could introduce compatibility issues with out-of-tree kernel modules or proprietary drivers

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

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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-2024-53166 in production — separate from our analysis above.

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