#VU96862 Improper locking in Linux kernel - CVE-2024-44957

Vulnerability identifier: #VU96862

Vulnerability risk: Low

CVSSv4.0: 4.3 [CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:N/VI:N/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N/E:U/U:Clear]

CVE-ID: CVE-2024-44957

CWE-ID: CWE-667

Exploitation vector: Local

Exploit availability: No

Vulnerable software:
Linux kernel
Operating systems & Components / Operating system

Vendor: Linux Foundation

Description

The vulnerability allows a local user to perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

The vulnerability exists due to improper locking within the DEFINE_MUTEX(), irqfd_wakeup(), irqfd_poll_func(), privcmd_irqfd_assign(), privcmd_irqfd_deassign() and privcmd_irqfd_init() functions in drivers/xen/privcmd.c. A local user can perform a denial of service (DoS) attack.

Mitigation
Install update from vendor's website.

Vulnerable software versions

Linux kernel: 6.6, 6.6 rc1, 6.6 rc2, 6.6 rc3, 6.6 rc4, 6.6 rc5, 6.6 rc6, 6.6.1, 6.6.2, 6.6.3, 6.6.4, 6.6.5, 6.6.6, 6.6.7, 6.6.8, 6.6.9, 6.6.10, 6.6.11, 6.6.12, 6.6.13, 6.6.14, 6.6.15, 6.6.16, 6.6.17, 6.6.18, 6.6.19, 6.6.20, 6.6.21, 6.6.22, 6.6.23, 6.6.24, 6.6.25, 6.6.26, 6.6.27, 6.6.28, 6.6.29, 6.6.30, 6.6.31, 6.6.32, 6.6.33, 6.6.34, 6.6.35, 6.6.36, 6.6.37, 6.6.38, 6.6.39, 6.6.40, 6.6.41, 6.6.42, 6.6.43, 6.6.44, 6.6.45, 6.10, 6.10.1, 6.10.2, 6.10.3, 6.10.4

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External links
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/c2775ae4d9227729f8ca9ee2a068f62a00d5ea9c
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/49f2a5da6785b2dbde93e291cae037662440346e
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1c682593096a487fd9aebc079a307ff7a6d054a3
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.10.5
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.11
https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/v6.x/ChangeLog-6.6.46

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Q & A

Can this vulnerability be exploited remotely?

No. This vulnerability can be exploited locally. The attacker should have authentication credentials and successfully authenticate on the system.

Is there known malware, which exploits this vulnerability?

No. We are not aware of malware exploiting this vulnerability.