CVE-2024-26724: Vulnerability in Linux Linux
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: DPLL, Fix possible use after free after delayed work timer triggers I managed to hit following use after free warning recently: [ 2169.711665] ================================================================== [ 2169.714009] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.716293] Write of size 8 at addr ffff88812b326a70 by task swapper/4/0 [ 2169.719022] CPU: 4 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/4 Not tainted 6.8.0-rc2jiri+ #2 [ 2169.720974] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 2169.722457] Call Trace: [ 2169.722756] <IRQ> [ 2169.723024] dump_stack_lvl+0x58/0xb0 [ 2169.723417] print_report+0xc5/0x630 [ 2169.723807] ? __virt_addr_valid+0x126/0x2b0 [ 2169.724268] kasan_report+0xbe/0xf0 [ 2169.724667] ? __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.725116] ? __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.725570] __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.726003] ? call_timer_fn+0x320/0x320 [ 2169.726404] ? lock_downgrade+0x3a0/0x3a0 [ 2169.726820] ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x14/0x20 [ 2169.727257] ? ktime_get+0x92/0x150 [ 2169.727630] ? lapic_next_deadline+0x35/0x60 [ 2169.728069] run_timer_softirq+0x40/0x80 [ 2169.728475] __do_softirq+0x1a1/0x509 [ 2169.728866] irq_exit_rcu+0x95/0xc0 [ 2169.729241] sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6b/0x80 [ 2169.729718] </IRQ> [ 2169.729993] <TASK> [ 2169.730259] asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x16/0x20 [ 2169.730755] RIP: 0010:default_idle+0x13/0x20 [ 2169.731190] Code: c0 08 00 00 00 4d 29 c8 4c 01 c7 4c 29 c2 e9 72 ff ff ff cc cc cc cc 8b 05 9a 7f 1f 02 85 c0 7e 07 0f 00 2d cf 69 43 00 fb f4 <fa> c3 66 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 65 48 8b 04 25 c0 93 04 00 [ 2169.732759] RSP: 0018:ffff888100dbfe10 EFLAGS: 00000242 [ 2169.733264] RAX: 0000000000000001 RBX: ffff888100d9c200 RCX: ffffffff8241bd62 [ 2169.733925] RDX: ffffed109a848b15 RSI: 0000000000000004 RDI: ffffffff8127ac55 [ 2169.734566] RBP: 0000000000000004 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffed109a848b14 [ 2169.735200] R10: ffff8884d42458a3 R11: 000000000000ba7e R12: ffffffff83d7d3a0 [ 2169.735835] R13: 1ffff110201b7fc6 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff888100d9c200 [ 2169.736478] ? ct_kernel_exit.constprop.0+0xa2/0xc0 [ 2169.736954] ? do_idle+0x285/0x290 [ 2169.737323] default_idle_call+0x63/0x90 [ 2169.737730] do_idle+0x285/0x290 [ 2169.738089] ? arch_cpu_idle_exit+0x30/0x30 [ 2169.738511] ? mark_held_locks+0x1a/0x80 [ 2169.738917] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x12e/0x200 [ 2169.739417] cpu_startup_entry+0x30/0x40 [ 2169.739825] start_secondary+0x19a/0x1c0 [ 2169.740229] ? set_cpu_sibling_map+0xbd0/0xbd0 [ 2169.740673] secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0x15d/0x16b [ 2169.741179] </TASK> [ 2169.741686] Allocated by task 1098: [ 2169.742058] kasan_save_stack+0x1c/0x40 [ 2169.742456] kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 [ 2169.742852] __kasan_kmalloc+0x83/0x90 [ 2169.743246] mlx5_dpll_probe+0xf5/0x3c0 [mlx5_dpll] [ 2169.743730] auxiliary_bus_probe+0x62/0xb0 [ 2169.744148] really_probe+0x127/0x590 [ 2169.744534] __driver_probe_device+0xd2/0x200 [ 2169.744973] device_driver_attach+0x6b/0xf0 [ 2169.745402] bind_store+0x90/0xe0 [ 2169.745761] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x1df/0x2a0 [ 2169.746210] vfs_write+0x41f/0x790 [ 2169.746579] ksys_write+0xc7/0x160 [ 2169.746947] do_syscall_64+0x6f/0x140 [ 2169.747333] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0x4e [ 2169.748049] Freed by task 1220: [ 2169.748393] kasan_save_stack+0x1c/0x40 [ 2169.748789] kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 [ 2169.749188] kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x50 [ 2169.749621] poison_slab_object+0x106/0x180 [ 2169.750044] __kasan_slab_free+0x14/0x50 [ 2169.750451] kfree+0x118/0x330 [ 2169.750792] mlx5_dpll_remove+0xf5/0x110 [mlx5_dpll] [ 2169.751271] auxiliary_bus_remove+0x2e/0x40 [ 2169.751694] device_release_driver_internal+0x24b/0x2e0 [ 2169.752191] unbind_store+0xa6/0xb0 [ 2169.752563] kernfs_fo ---truncated---
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
CVE-2024-26724 is a use-after-free vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel, specifically within the Mellanox mlx5 driver component related to the DPLL (Digital Phase-Locked Loop) functionality. The vulnerability arises due to improper handling of delayed work timers, which can trigger a use-after-free condition when the timer fires and attempts to access memory that has already been freed. The kernel's Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) detected this issue, reporting slab-use-after-free errors during timer execution. The vulnerability is rooted in the mlx5_dpll_probe and mlx5_dpll_remove functions, where allocation and freeing of kernel objects are not properly synchronized, leading to potential access of freed memory. This flaw can cause kernel crashes (denial of service) or potentially enable escalation of privileges if exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions around the 6.8.0-rc2 development release and likely other versions using the mlx5 driver. The mlx5 driver is commonly used for Mellanox network interface cards (NICs), which are prevalent in high-performance computing and data center environments. No public exploits are known at this time, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The issue was publicly disclosed and patched in early April 2024.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk particularly to enterprises and data centers relying on Linux servers equipped with Mellanox mlx5 NICs. These NICs are widely deployed in cloud providers, telecommunications infrastructure, financial institutions, and research centers across Europe. Exploitation could lead to kernel crashes causing service outages, impacting availability of critical services. In worst-case scenarios, attackers with local access might leverage this flaw to escalate privileges, potentially compromising system integrity and confidentiality. Given the kernel-level nature of the vulnerability, successful exploitation could undermine the security of entire systems, affecting sensitive data and critical infrastructure. Organizations running virtualized environments or high-performance computing clusters are especially at risk due to the common use of mlx5 hardware in these contexts. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate risk, as attackers may develop exploits following public disclosure.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should prioritize updating Linux kernels to versions where this vulnerability is patched, specifically applying vendor-supplied updates that address the mlx5 driver use-after-free issue. System administrators should audit their environments to identify servers using Mellanox mlx5 NICs and ensure timely patch deployment. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling or unloading the mlx5_dpll kernel module if it is not critical to operations, to reduce attack surface. Employ kernel hardening techniques such as enabling Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) in testing environments to detect similar issues proactively. Additionally, restrict local access to trusted users only, as exploitation requires local code execution. Monitoring kernel logs for unusual KASAN warnings or kernel oops messages can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. For virtualized environments, ensure hypervisor and guest isolation is robust to prevent lateral movement if a host is compromised. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to mitigate impact from potential denial-of-service or privilege escalation attacks.
Affected Countries
Germany, France, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Spain
CVE-2024-26724: Vulnerability in Linux Linux
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: DPLL, Fix possible use after free after delayed work timer triggers I managed to hit following use after free warning recently: [ 2169.711665] ================================================================== [ 2169.714009] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.716293] Write of size 8 at addr ffff88812b326a70 by task swapper/4/0 [ 2169.719022] CPU: 4 PID: 0 Comm: swapper/4 Not tainted 6.8.0-rc2jiri+ #2 [ 2169.720974] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 [ 2169.722457] Call Trace: [ 2169.722756] <IRQ> [ 2169.723024] dump_stack_lvl+0x58/0xb0 [ 2169.723417] print_report+0xc5/0x630 [ 2169.723807] ? __virt_addr_valid+0x126/0x2b0 [ 2169.724268] kasan_report+0xbe/0xf0 [ 2169.724667] ? __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.725116] ? __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.725570] __run_timers.part.0+0x179/0x4c0 [ 2169.726003] ? call_timer_fn+0x320/0x320 [ 2169.726404] ? lock_downgrade+0x3a0/0x3a0 [ 2169.726820] ? kvm_clock_get_cycles+0x14/0x20 [ 2169.727257] ? ktime_get+0x92/0x150 [ 2169.727630] ? lapic_next_deadline+0x35/0x60 [ 2169.728069] run_timer_softirq+0x40/0x80 [ 2169.728475] __do_softirq+0x1a1/0x509 [ 2169.728866] irq_exit_rcu+0x95/0xc0 [ 2169.729241] sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x6b/0x80 [ 2169.729718] </IRQ> [ 2169.729993] <TASK> [ 2169.730259] asm_sysvec_apic_timer_interrupt+0x16/0x20 [ 2169.730755] RIP: 0010:default_idle+0x13/0x20 [ 2169.731190] Code: c0 08 00 00 00 4d 29 c8 4c 01 c7 4c 29 c2 e9 72 ff ff ff cc cc cc cc 8b 05 9a 7f 1f 02 85 c0 7e 07 0f 00 2d cf 69 43 00 fb f4 <fa> c3 66 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 65 48 8b 04 25 c0 93 04 00 [ 2169.732759] RSP: 0018:ffff888100dbfe10 EFLAGS: 00000242 [ 2169.733264] RAX: 0000000000000001 RBX: ffff888100d9c200 RCX: ffffffff8241bd62 [ 2169.733925] RDX: ffffed109a848b15 RSI: 0000000000000004 RDI: ffffffff8127ac55 [ 2169.734566] RBP: 0000000000000004 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: ffffed109a848b14 [ 2169.735200] R10: ffff8884d42458a3 R11: 000000000000ba7e R12: ffffffff83d7d3a0 [ 2169.735835] R13: 1ffff110201b7fc6 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff888100d9c200 [ 2169.736478] ? ct_kernel_exit.constprop.0+0xa2/0xc0 [ 2169.736954] ? do_idle+0x285/0x290 [ 2169.737323] default_idle_call+0x63/0x90 [ 2169.737730] do_idle+0x285/0x290 [ 2169.738089] ? arch_cpu_idle_exit+0x30/0x30 [ 2169.738511] ? mark_held_locks+0x1a/0x80 [ 2169.738917] ? lockdep_hardirqs_on_prepare+0x12e/0x200 [ 2169.739417] cpu_startup_entry+0x30/0x40 [ 2169.739825] start_secondary+0x19a/0x1c0 [ 2169.740229] ? set_cpu_sibling_map+0xbd0/0xbd0 [ 2169.740673] secondary_startup_64_no_verify+0x15d/0x16b [ 2169.741179] </TASK> [ 2169.741686] Allocated by task 1098: [ 2169.742058] kasan_save_stack+0x1c/0x40 [ 2169.742456] kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 [ 2169.742852] __kasan_kmalloc+0x83/0x90 [ 2169.743246] mlx5_dpll_probe+0xf5/0x3c0 [mlx5_dpll] [ 2169.743730] auxiliary_bus_probe+0x62/0xb0 [ 2169.744148] really_probe+0x127/0x590 [ 2169.744534] __driver_probe_device+0xd2/0x200 [ 2169.744973] device_driver_attach+0x6b/0xf0 [ 2169.745402] bind_store+0x90/0xe0 [ 2169.745761] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x1df/0x2a0 [ 2169.746210] vfs_write+0x41f/0x790 [ 2169.746579] ksys_write+0xc7/0x160 [ 2169.746947] do_syscall_64+0x6f/0x140 [ 2169.747333] entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0x4e [ 2169.748049] Freed by task 1220: [ 2169.748393] kasan_save_stack+0x1c/0x40 [ 2169.748789] kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 [ 2169.749188] kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x50 [ 2169.749621] poison_slab_object+0x106/0x180 [ 2169.750044] __kasan_slab_free+0x14/0x50 [ 2169.750451] kfree+0x118/0x330 [ 2169.750792] mlx5_dpll_remove+0xf5/0x110 [mlx5_dpll] [ 2169.751271] auxiliary_bus_remove+0x2e/0x40 [ 2169.751694] device_release_driver_internal+0x24b/0x2e0 [ 2169.752191] unbind_store+0xa6/0xb0 [ 2169.752563] kernfs_fo ---truncated---
AI-Powered Analysis
Technical Analysis
CVE-2024-26724 is a use-after-free vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel, specifically within the Mellanox mlx5 driver component related to the DPLL (Digital Phase-Locked Loop) functionality. The vulnerability arises due to improper handling of delayed work timers, which can trigger a use-after-free condition when the timer fires and attempts to access memory that has already been freed. The kernel's Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) detected this issue, reporting slab-use-after-free errors during timer execution. The vulnerability is rooted in the mlx5_dpll_probe and mlx5_dpll_remove functions, where allocation and freeing of kernel objects are not properly synchronized, leading to potential access of freed memory. This flaw can cause kernel crashes (denial of service) or potentially enable escalation of privileges if exploited by malicious actors. The vulnerability affects Linux kernel versions around the 6.8.0-rc2 development release and likely other versions using the mlx5 driver. The mlx5 driver is commonly used for Mellanox network interface cards (NICs), which are prevalent in high-performance computing and data center environments. No public exploits are known at this time, and no CVSS score has been assigned yet. The issue was publicly disclosed and patched in early April 2024.
Potential Impact
For European organizations, this vulnerability poses a significant risk particularly to enterprises and data centers relying on Linux servers equipped with Mellanox mlx5 NICs. These NICs are widely deployed in cloud providers, telecommunications infrastructure, financial institutions, and research centers across Europe. Exploitation could lead to kernel crashes causing service outages, impacting availability of critical services. In worst-case scenarios, attackers with local access might leverage this flaw to escalate privileges, potentially compromising system integrity and confidentiality. Given the kernel-level nature of the vulnerability, successful exploitation could undermine the security of entire systems, affecting sensitive data and critical infrastructure. Organizations running virtualized environments or high-performance computing clusters are especially at risk due to the common use of mlx5 hardware in these contexts. The lack of known exploits currently reduces immediate threat but does not eliminate risk, as attackers may develop exploits following public disclosure.
Mitigation Recommendations
European organizations should prioritize updating Linux kernels to versions where this vulnerability is patched, specifically applying vendor-supplied updates that address the mlx5 driver use-after-free issue. System administrators should audit their environments to identify servers using Mellanox mlx5 NICs and ensure timely patch deployment. In environments where immediate patching is not feasible, consider disabling or unloading the mlx5_dpll kernel module if it is not critical to operations, to reduce attack surface. Employ kernel hardening techniques such as enabling Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) in testing environments to detect similar issues proactively. Additionally, restrict local access to trusted users only, as exploitation requires local code execution. Monitoring kernel logs for unusual KASAN warnings or kernel oops messages can provide early detection of exploitation attempts. For virtualized environments, ensure hypervisor and guest isolation is robust to prevent lateral movement if a host is compromised. Finally, maintain up-to-date backups and incident response plans to mitigate impact from potential denial-of-service or privilege escalation attacks.
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Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.1
- Assigner Short Name
- Linux
- Date Reserved
- 2024-02-19T14:20:24.163Z
- Cisa Enriched
- true
- Cvss Version
- null
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 682d982ac4522896dcbe3931
Added to database: 5/21/2025, 9:08:58 AM
Last enriched: 6/29/2025, 5:54:59 PM
Last updated: 7/28/2025, 3:05:04 AM
Views: 9
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