CVE-2024-27402 is a medium-severity vulnerability identified in the Linux kernel, specifically within the phonet/pep subsystem responsible for handling socket buffer queues. The issue arises due to a race condition involving the use of skb_queue_empty(), where the receive queues are protected by their respective spin-locks rather than the socket lock. This improper synchronization can cause the skb_peek() function to return either NULL or a pointer to a socket buffer that has already been dequeued. Such a race condition can lead to inconsistent or stale data being processed by the kernel networking stack, potentially resulting in denial of service or data integrity issues. The vulnerability requires local access with low privileges (PR:L), has a high attack complexity (AC:H), does not require user interaction (UI:N), and affects confidentiality, integrity, and availability to varying degrees (C:L, I:L, A:H). The attack vector is local (AV:L), meaning an attacker must have local access to the system to exploit this flaw. No known exploits are currently reported in the wild, and the vulnerability has been addressed in recent Linux kernel updates. The affected versions are identified by specific commit hashes, indicating that the issue is present in certain kernel builds prior to the fix. This vulnerability highlights the importance of proper locking mechanisms in kernel code to prevent race conditions that can compromise system stability and security.

For European organizations, the impact of CVE-2024-27402 primarily concerns systems running vulnerable Linux kernel versions, especially those utilizing the phonet/pep networking subsystem. The vulnerability could lead to denial of service conditions or data corruption within network communications, potentially disrupting critical services. Organizations relying on Linux-based infrastructure for telecommunications, embedded systems, or specialized networking applications may face operational disruptions. Although the attack requires local access and has high complexity, insider threats or compromised accounts could exploit this flaw to degrade system availability or integrity. The confidentiality impact is limited but not negligible, as improper handling of socket buffers might expose sensitive data under certain conditions. Given the widespread use of Linux in European data centers, cloud environments, and industrial control systems, unpatched systems could experience service interruptions or require emergency maintenance, impacting business continuity and compliance with regulations such as GDPR if service availability is affected.

To mitigate CVE-2024-27402, European organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernels to versions where this vulnerability has been patched. Kernel updates should be tested in staging environments to ensure compatibility with existing applications. Additionally, organizations should implement strict access controls to limit local user privileges, reducing the risk of exploitation by low-privilege users. Monitoring and auditing local user activities can help detect attempts to exploit this vulnerability. For systems where immediate patching is not feasible, consider isolating vulnerable hosts from untrusted users and networks to minimize local attack opportunities. Employing kernel hardening techniques such as SELinux or AppArmor can provide additional layers of defense by restricting process capabilities. Finally, maintain an inventory of Linux kernel versions in use across the organization to identify and remediate vulnerable systems promptly.