CVE-2024-42304: Linux kernel · ext4: make sure the first directory block is not a hole
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 7.8 High · fixed in 5.4.0-1135.145~18.04.1 : patch Linux kernel soon.
Data as of 26 Oct 2026, 23:28 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.4.0-1135.145~18.04.1, 5.4.0-1140.147~18.04.1, 5.4.0-1139.148~18.04.1 +75
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:HExploitation evidence
Disclosed: evidence found.
CVE published 17 Aug 2024
Detectable: no evidence on record.
No public nuclei template indexed
Weaponised: 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 26 Oct 2026.
What to do
Upgrade to a fixed release listed under Affected software.
Patches and advisories
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7100-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7100-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7119-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7123-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7144-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7154-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7155-1 (opens in a new tab)
Affected software
| Product | Affected | Fixed in |
|---|---|---|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinuxpkg:deb/ubuntu/linux?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-awspkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-aws?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-azurepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-gcppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gcp?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-gkepkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gke?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-gkeoppkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-gkeop?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Check your own hosts for these packages with threat-finder (opens in a new tab), our free open-source scanner.
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: make sure the first directory block is not a hole The syzbot constructs a directory that has no dirblock but is non-inline, i.e. the first directory block is a hole. And no errors are reported when creating files in this directory in the following flow. ext4_mknod ... ext4_add_entry // Read block 0 ext4_read_dirblock(dir, block, DIRENT) bh = ext4_bread(NULL, inode, block, 0) if (!bh && (type == INDEX || type == DIRENT_HTREE)) // The first directory block is a hole // But type == DIRENT, so no error is reported. After that, we get a directory block without '.' and '..' but with a valid dentry. This may cause some code that relies on dot or dotdot (such as make_indexed_dir()) to crash. Therefore when ext4_read_dirblock() finds that the first directory block is a hole report that the filesystem is corrupted and return an error to avoid loading corrupted data from disk causing something bad.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-42304 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-42304 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/f9ca51596bbfd0f9c386dd1c613c394c78d9e5e6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/b609753cbbd38f8c0affd4956c0af178348523ac (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/c3893d9de8ee153baac56d127d844103488133b5 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/299bc6ffa57e04e74c6cce866d6c0741fb4897a1 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f9ca51596bbfd0f9c386dd1c613c394c78d9e5e6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d81d7e347d1f1f48a5634607d39eb90c161c8afe (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/e02f9941e8c011aa3eafa799def6a134ce06bcfa (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/de2a011a13a46468a6e8259db58b1b62071fe136 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/9771e3d8365ae1dd5e8846a204cb9af14e3e656a (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-4 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7100-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7100-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7088-5 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7119-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7123-1 (opens in a new tab)