CVE-2024-42240: Linux kernel · Infinite Loop
Source GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium.
Data as of 30 Oct 2026, 02:50 UTC
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 7 Aug 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponized: no evidence on record.
No public exploit code indexed in Metasploit or Exploit-DB
Exploited in the wildExploited: no evidence on record.
Not in CISA KEV and no source reports exploitation
Observed by OffSeq MirageSeen by Mirage: no evidence on record.
No attack traffic recorded by OffSeq Mirage sensors
A missing step is not evidence of safety. Sources: cve.org (opens in a new tab), the Metasploit, Exploit-DB and nuclei-templates index as of 29 Oct 2026.
What to do
AI-suggested
Until a fix is applied, avoid running untrusted code that manipulates the TF flag and SYSENTER instruction in this manner. Monitor vendor channels for updates and apply kernel updates once available.
Description
CVE-2024-42240 is a medium severity vulnerability in the Linux kernel related to the x86 architecture's Branch History Injection (BHI) mitigation. When BHI mitigation is enabled, invoking SYSENTER with the Trap Flag (TF) set causes a warning in the #DB handler due to improper ordering of clearing the branch history and the TF flag. This leads to a kernel warning and a segmentation fault when triggered by a crafted program.
References
- nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-42240 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/08518d48e5b744620524f0acd7c26c19bda7f513 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/a765679defe1dc1b8fa01928a6ad6361e72a1364 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/ac8b270b61d48fcc61f052097777e3b5e11591e0 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/dae3543db8f0cf8ac1a198c3bb4b6e3c24d576cf (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/db56615e96c439e13783d7715330e824b4fd4b84 (opens in a new tab)
- lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html (opens in a new tab)