CVE-2024-33601: CWE-617 Reachable Assertion in The GNU C Library glibc
nscd: netgroup cache may terminate daemon on memory allocation failure The Name Service Cache Daemon's (nscd) netgroup cache uses xmalloc or xrealloc and these functions may terminate the process due to a memory allocation failure resulting in a denial of service to the clients. The flaw was introduced in glibc 2.15 when the cache was added to nscd. This vulnerability is only present in the nscd binary.
AI Analysis
Technical Summary
The vulnerability CVE-2024-33601 in glibc's nscd netgroup cache occurs due to the use of xmalloc or xrealloc functions that terminate the nscd daemon if memory allocation fails. This results in a reachable assertion leading to a denial of service condition for clients relying on nscd. The flaw was introduced starting with glibc version 2.15 when the netgroup cache feature was added. Only the nscd binary is affected, not the entire glibc library.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes the nscd daemon to terminate unexpectedly due to memory allocation failures, resulting in denial of service to clients depending on nscd for name service caching. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact beyond service disruption.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Until a patch is available, consider disabling the nscd netgroup cache feature if feasible to avoid triggering the vulnerability.
CVE-2024-33601: CWE-617 Reachable Assertion in The GNU C Library glibc
Description
nscd: netgroup cache may terminate daemon on memory allocation failure The Name Service Cache Daemon's (nscd) netgroup cache uses xmalloc or xrealloc and these functions may terminate the process due to a memory allocation failure resulting in a denial of service to the clients. The flaw was introduced in glibc 2.15 when the cache was added to nscd. This vulnerability is only present in the nscd binary.
CVSS v3.1
Score 7.3high
Affected software
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Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
The vulnerability CVE-2024-33601 in glibc's nscd netgroup cache occurs due to the use of xmalloc or xrealloc functions that terminate the nscd daemon if memory allocation fails. This results in a reachable assertion leading to a denial of service condition for clients relying on nscd. The flaw was introduced starting with glibc version 2.15 when the netgroup cache feature was added. Only the nscd binary is affected, not the entire glibc library.
Potential Impact
Successful exploitation causes the nscd daemon to terminate unexpectedly due to memory allocation failures, resulting in denial of service to clients depending on nscd for name service caching. There is no indication of confidentiality or integrity impact beyond service disruption.
Mitigation Recommendations
Patch status is not yet confirmed — check the vendor advisory for current remediation guidance. No official fix or temporary workaround is currently documented. Until a patch is available, consider disabling the nscd netgroup cache feature if feasible to avoid triggering the vulnerability.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- glibc
- Date Reserved
- 2024-04-24T20:35:08.340Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
Threat ID: 6a0317d3cbff5d8610d954b8
Added to database: 05/12/2026, 12:06:43 UTC
Last enriched: 07/15/2026, 11:26:44 UTC
Last updated: 09/10/2026, 19:36:48 UTC
Views: 111
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