Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-56548

HIGH · 7.8 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-27

Fix available

A fix is available. Upgrade to 4.19.325 / 5.4.287 or later.

See remediation →

80/100

Remediation priority · High

Zero-click Patch available

Official description

NVD · unedited

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: hfsplus: don't query the device logical block size multiple times Devices block sizes may change. One of these cases is a loop device by using ioctl LOOP_SET_BLOCK_SIZE. While this may cause other issues like IO being rejected, in the case of hfsplus, it will allocate a block by using that size and potentially write out-of-bounds when hfsplus_read_wrapper calls hfsplus_submit_bio and the latter function reads a different io_size. Using a new min_io_size initally set to sb_min_blocksize works for the purposes of the original fix, since it will be set to the max between HFSPLUS_SECTOR_SIZE and the first seen logical block size. We still use the max between HFSPLUS_SECTOR_SIZE and min_io_size in case the latter is not initialized. Tested by mounting an hfsplus filesystem with loop block sizes 512, 1024 and 4096. The produced KASAN report before the fix looks like this: [ 419.944641] ================================================================== [ 419.945655] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a [ 419.946703] Read of size 2 at addr ffff88800721fc00 by task repro/10678 [ 419.947612] [ 419.947846] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 10678 Comm: repro Not tainted 6.12.0-rc5-00008-gdf56e0f2f3ca #84 [ 419.949007] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014 [ 419.950035] Call Trace: [ 419.950384] <TASK> [ 419.950676] dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x78 [ 419.951212] ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a [ 419.951830] print_report+0x14c/0x49e [ 419.952361] ? __virt_addr_valid+0x267/0x278 [ 419.952979] ? kmem_cache_debug_flags+0xc/0x1d [ 419.953561] ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a [ 419.954231] kasan_report+0x89/0xb0 [ 419.954748] ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a [ 419.955367] hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a [ 419.955948] ? __pfx_hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x10/0x10 [ 419.956618] ? do_raw_spin_unlock+0x59/0x1a9 [ 419.957214] ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x1a/0x2e [ 419.957772] hfsplus_fill_super+0x348/0x1590 [ 419.958355] ? hlock_class+0x4c/0x109 [ 419.958867] ? __pfx_hfsplus_fill_super+0x10/0x10 [ 419.959499] ? __pfx_string+0x10/0x10 [ 419.960006] ? lock_acquire+0x3e2/0x454 [ 419.960532] ? bdev_name.constprop.0+0xce/0x243 [ 419.961129] ? __pfx_bdev_name.constprop.0+0x10/0x10 [ 419.961799] ? pointer+0x3f0/0x62f [ 419.962277] ? __pfx_pointer+0x10/0x10 [ 419.962761] ? vsnprintf+0x6c4/0xfba [ 419.963178] ? __pfx_vsnprintf+0x10/0x10 [ 419.963621] ? setup_bdev_super+0x376/0x3b3 [ 419.964029] ? snprintf+0x9d/0xd2 [ 419.964344] ? __pfx_snprintf+0x10/0x10 [ 419.964675] ? lock_acquired+0x45c/0x5e9 [ 419.965016] ? set_blocksize+0x139/0x1c1 [ 419.965381] ? sb_set_blocksize+0x6d/0xae [ 419.965742] ? __pfx_hfsplus_fill_super+0x10/0x10 [ 419.966179] mount_bdev+0x12f/0x1bf [ 419.966512] ? __pfx_mount_bdev+0x10/0x10 [ 419.966886] ? vfs_parse_fs_string+0xce/0x111 [ 419.967293] ? __pfx_vfs_parse_fs_string+0x10/0x10 [ 419.967702] ? __pfx_hfsplus_mount+0x10/0x10 [ 419.968073] legacy_get_tree+0x104/0x178 [ 419.968414] vfs_get_tree+0x86/0x296 [ 419.968751] path_mount+0xba3/0xd0b [ 419.969157] ? __pfx_path_mount+0x10/0x10 [ 419.969594] ? kmem_cache_free+0x1e2/0x260 [ 419.970311] do_mount+0x99/0xe0 [ 419.970630] ? __pfx_do_mount+0x10/0x10 [ 419.971008] __do_sys_mount+0x199/0x1c9 [ 419.971397] do_syscall_64+0xd0/0x135 [ 419.971761] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e [ 419.972233] RIP: 0033:0x7c3cb812972e [ 419.972564] Code: 48 8b 0d f5 46 0d 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 83 c8 ff c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 90 f3 0f 1e fa 49 89 ca b8 a5 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d c2 46 0d 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 [ 419.974371] RSP: 002b:00007ffe30632548 EFLAGS: 00000286 ORIG_RAX: 00000000000000a5 [ 419.975048] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007ffe306328d8 RCX: 00007c3cb812972e [ 419.975701] RDX: 0000000020000000 RSI: 0000000020000c80 RDI: ---truncated---

Technical summary

dbcve analysis

How this class of weakness works · CWE-787

The program writes past the bounds of a buffer, overwriting adjacent memory an attacker can turn to their advantage. Crafted input can overwrite control data and redirect execution. Remediation is validating every index and length before a write, plus modern memory-safety mitigations.

General guidance for the out-of-bounds write 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

NVD · CPE data

Linux KernelOperating system

Affected:>= 3.0.8, < 4.19.325>= 4.20, < 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

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

dbcve · scoped

Upgrade available Upgrade to 4.19.325 / 5.4.287 / 5.10.231 or later

Fixed in 4.19.3255.4.2875.10.231

Vendor patch git.kernel.org →

Recommended fix High confidence

Linux kernel 4.19.325+, 5.4.287+, 5.10.231+, or 5.15.174+ (depending on which branch you are on)

Identify your current kernel version using `uname -r`
Based on your version, upgrade to one of the fixed releases: Linux 4.19.325 or later, 5.4.287 or later, 5.10.231 or later, or 5.15.174 or later
For systems using distribution kernels, apply the distribution's kernel update (e.g., `apt update && apt upgrade` on Debian/Ubuntu, `yum update` on RHEL/CentOS, or `zypper update` on openSUSE)
Reboot into the updated kernel
Verify the fix is applied by checking the kernel version matches or exceeds the fixed releases listed above
Alternatively, if you must stay on an older kernel branch, manually apply the upstream commit 06cbfbb13ac88f4154c2eb4bc4176f9d10139847 to your kernel source and recompile

Caveat Kernel upgrades may introduce changes to other subsystems; ensure compatibility with your system configuration and any out-of-tree kernel modules before rebooting

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

Free · runs locally

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References

Primary sources

Practitioner notes

Contributed

Peer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2024-56548 in production — separate from our analysis above.

Notes0 Guidelines

Know something about CVE-2024-56548?

The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.

The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
A config change or rule that shut the vector down
A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon

No notes yet

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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
No weaponised exploit code, or anything meant to cause harm
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At a glance

A fix existsUpgrade to 4.19.325 / 5.4.287 or later

Severity 7.8 High

Exploit likelihood EPSS, next 30 days 0.2%

Affects: Linux Kernel

Remediation

A high-priority fix

Get a fix

Estimated effortfrom ~18 hrs

ComplexityComplex

Typical engagementfrom $3,200

What a fix involves

We scope it with you and confirm a fixed quote
A specialist builds a reviewed fix
You deploy it to staging first
Optional re-test once it’s live

A high-priority vulnerability. Send your environment and a specialist will scope CVE-2024-56548 and return a fixed quote and timeline.

You’ll deal with our team directly and deploy the reviewed fix to staging first — never straight to production.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Scan for this in your stack

References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.

Practitioner notes

No notes yet

Official description

Technical summary

Affected products & versions

CVSS breakdown

Remediation

References