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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-53174

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 5.4.287 / 5.10.231 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: SUNRPC: make sure cache entry active before cache_show The function `c_show` was called with protection from RCU. This only ensures that `cp` will not be freed. Therefore, the reference count for `cp` can drop to zero, which will trigger a refcount use-after-free warning when `cache_get` is called. To resolve this issue, use `cache_get_rcu` to ensure that `cp` remains active. ------------[ cut here ]------------ refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free. WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 822 at lib/refcount.c:25 refcount_warn_saturate+0xb1/0x120 CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 822 Comm: cat Not tainted 6.12.0-rc3+ #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.1-2.fc37 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xb1/0x120 Call Trace: <TASK> c_show+0x2fc/0x380 [sunrpc] seq_read_iter+0x589/0x770 seq_read+0x1e5/0x270 proc_reg_read+0xe1/0x140 vfs_read+0x125/0x530 ksys_read+0xc1/0x160 do_syscall_64+0x5f/0x170 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e

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:< 5.4.287>= 5.5, < 5.10.231>= 5.11, < 5.15.174>= 5.16, < 6.1.120>= 6.2, < 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 5.4.287 / 5.10.231 / 5.15.174 or later
Fixed in 5.4.2875.10.2315.15.174
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Upgrade to kernel version 6.1.120 or later (or 5.15.174+, 5.10.231+, or 5.4.287+ depending on your base)

  1. 1. Identify the current running kernel version using `uname -r`
  2. 2. Check if the current version is affected: < 5.4.287, >= 5.5 and < 5.10.231, >= 5.11 and < 5.15.174, or >= 5.16 and < 6.1.120
  3. 3. If affected, upgrade the Linux kernel to a patched version: 5.4.287+, 5.10.231+, 5.15.174+, or 6.1.120+
  4. 4. Update bootloader configuration if needed (e.g., update-grub for GRUB)
  5. 5. Reboot the system into the new kernel
  6. 6. Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version and confirming the specific commit is included: `git log --oneline | grep 02999e135b01` or check kernel release notes
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require matching driver/module rebuilds; ensure compatibility with userspace tools and hardware drivers before upgrading production systems

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-2024-53174 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
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  • Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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