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Linux KernelOperating system · Linux

CVE-2024-56559

MEDIUM · 5.5 CVSS v3.1 Published 2024-12-27
Fix available
A fix is available. Upgrade to 6.12.4 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: mm/vmalloc: combine all TLB flush operations of KASAN shadow virtual address into one operation When compiling kernel source 'make -j $(nproc)' with the up-and-running KASAN-enabled kernel on a 256-core machine, the following soft lockup is shown: watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#28 stuck for 22s! [kworker/28:1:1760] CPU: 28 PID: 1760 Comm: kworker/28:1 Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.10.0-rc5 #95 Workqueue: events drain_vmap_area_work RIP: 0010:smp_call_function_many_cond+0x1d8/0xbb0 Code: 38 c8 7c 08 84 c9 0f 85 49 08 00 00 8b 45 08 a8 01 74 2e 48 89 f1 49 89 f7 48 c1 e9 03 41 83 e7 07 4c 01 e9 41 83 c7 03 f3 90 <0f> b6 01 41 38 c7 7c 08 84 c0 0f 85 d4 06 00 00 8b 45 08 a8 01 75 RSP: 0018:ffffc9000cb3fb60 EFLAGS: 00000202 RAX: 0000000000000011 RBX: ffff8883bc4469c0 RCX: ffffed10776e9949 RDX: 0000000000000002 RSI: ffff8883bb74ca48 RDI: ffffffff8434dc50 RBP: ffff8883bb74ca40 R08: ffff888103585dc0 R09: ffff8884533a1800 R10: 0000000000000004 R11: ffffffffffffffff R12: ffffed1077888d39 R13: dffffc0000000000 R14: ffffed1077888d38 R15: 0000000000000003 FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff8883bc400000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000 CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033 CR2: 00005577b5c8d158 CR3: 0000000004850000 CR4: 0000000000350ef0 Call Trace: <IRQ> ? watchdog_timer_fn+0x2cd/0x390 ? __pfx_watchdog_timer_fn+0x10/0x10 ? __hrtimer_run_queues+0x300/0x6d0 ? sched_clock_cpu+0x69/0x4e0 ? __pfx___hrtimer_run_queues+0x10/0x10 ? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f ? ktime_get_update_offsets_now+0x7f/0x2a0 ? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f ? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f ? hrtimer_interrupt+0x2ca/0x760 ? __sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x8c/0x2b0 ? sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6a/0x90 </IRQ> <TASK> ? asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x16/0x20 ? smp_call_function_many_cond+0x1d8/0xbb0 ? __pfx_do_kernel_range_flush+0x10/0x10 on_each_cpu_cond_mask+0x20/0x40 flush_tlb_kernel_range+0x19b/0x250 ? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f ? kasan_release_vmalloc+0xa7/0xc0 purge_vmap_node+0x357/0x820 ? __pfx_purge_vmap_node+0x10/0x10 __purge_vmap_area_lazy+0x5b8/0xa10 drain_vmap_area_work+0x21/0x30 process_one_work+0x661/0x10b0 worker_thread+0x844/0x10e0 ? srso_return_thunk+0x5/0x5f ? __kthread_parkme+0x82/0x140 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10 kthread+0x2a5/0x370 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork+0x30/0x70 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK> Debugging Analysis: 1. The following ftrace log shows that the lockup CPU spends too much time iterating vmap_nodes and flushing TLB when purging vm_area structures. (Some info is trimmed). kworker: funcgraph_entry: | drain_vmap_area_work() { kworker: funcgraph_entry: | mutex_lock() { kworker: funcgraph_entry: 1.092 us | __cond_resched(); kworker: funcgraph_exit: 3.306 us | } ... ... kworker: funcgraph_entry: | flush_tlb_kernel_range() { ... ... kworker: funcgraph_exit: # 7533.649 us | } ... ... kworker: funcgraph_entry: 2.344 us | mutex_unlock(); kworker: funcgraph_exit: $ 23871554 us | } The drain_vmap_area_work() spends over 23 seconds. There are 2805 flush_tlb_kernel_range() calls in the ftrace log. * One is called in __purge_vmap_area_lazy(). * Others are called by purge_vmap_node->kasan_release_vmalloc. purge_vmap_node() iteratively releases kasan vmalloc allocations and flushes TLB for each vmap_area. - [Rough calculation] Each flush_tlb_kernel_range() runs about 7.5ms. -- 2804 * 7.5ms = 21.03 seconds. -- That's why a soft lock is triggered. 2. Extending the soft lockup time can work around the issue (For example, # echo ---truncated---

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-667

Shared resources are accessed without correct locking, so concurrent operations interleave into inconsistent — and sometimes exploitable — states, or deadlock the service outright. These bugs are subtle and timing-dependent. The fix is correct, consistent locking or atomic operations around every shared resource.

General guidance for the improper locking 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:>= 6.9, < 6.12.4

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 6.12.4 or later
Fixed in 6.12.4
Vendor patch git.kernel.org →
Recommended fix High confidence

Linux Kernel 6.12.4 or later stable release

  1. Upgrade the Linux kernel to version 6.12.4 or later to obtain the fix that consolidates TLB flush operations in the vmalloc subsystem
Caveat Kernel upgrades may require system reboot and could have compatibility implications with specific drivers or modules; ensure backup and test in non-production environment 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

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