CVE-2024-55916: Linux kernel · Drivers: hv: util: Avoid accessing a ringbuffer not initialized yet
Affects Linux kernelSource GCVE Database
Not known to be exploited · CVSS 5.5 Medium · fixed in 5.4.0-1142.152~18.04.1 : update Linux kernel when convenient.
Data as of 28 Oct 2026, 11:14 UTC
- Patch
- Available – fixed in 5.4.0-1142.152~18.04.1, 5.4.0-1147.154~18.04.1, 5.4.0-1145.154~18.04.1 +84
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 11 Jan 2025
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-7379-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7380-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7381-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7382-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7388-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7389-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7390-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-3 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7391-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7392-1 (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-azure-6.11pkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-6.11?arch=source&distro=nobleOther threats | Affected
| Fixed in
|
Ubuntu 24.04 LTSlinux-azure-nvidiapkg:deb/ubuntu/linux-azure-nvidia?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
|
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: Drivers: hv: util: Avoid accessing a ringbuffer not initialized yet If the KVP (or VSS) daemon starts before the VMBus channel's ringbuffer is fully initialized, we can hit the panic below: hv_utils: Registering HyperV Utility Driver hv_vmbus: registering driver hv_utils ... BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 CPU: 44 UID: 0 PID: 2552 Comm: hv_kvp_daemon Tainted: G E 6.11.0-rc3+ #1 RIP: 0010:hv_pkt_iter_first+0x12/0xd0 Call Trace: ... vmbus_recvpacket hv_kvp_onchannelcallback vmbus_on_event tasklet_action_common tasklet_action handle_softirqs irq_exit_rcu sysvec_hyperv_stimer0 </IRQ> <TASK> asm_sysvec_hyperv_stimer0 ... kvp_register_done hvt_op_read vfs_read ksys_read __x64_sys_read This can happen because the KVP/VSS channel callback can be invoked even before the channel is fully opened: 1) as soon as hv_kvp_init() -> hvutil_transport_init() creates /dev/vmbus/hv_kvp, the kvp daemon can open the device file immediately and register itself to the driver by writing a message KVP_OP_REGISTER1 to the file (which is handled by kvp_on_msg() ->kvp_handle_handshake()) and reading the file for the driver's response, which is handled by hvt_op_read(), which calls hvt->on_read(), i.e. kvp_register_done(). 2) the problem with kvp_register_done() is that it can cause the channel callback to be called even before the channel is fully opened, and when the channel callback is starting to run, util_probe()-> vmbus_open() may have not initialized the ringbuffer yet, so the callback can hit the panic of NULL pointer dereference. To reproduce the panic consistently, we can add a "ssleep(10)" for KVP in __vmbus_open(), just before the first hv_ringbuffer_init(), and then we unload and reload the driver hv_utils, and run the daemon manually within the 10 seconds. Fix the panic by reordering the steps in util_probe() so the char dev entry used by the KVP or VSS daemon is not created until after vmbus_open() has completed. This reordering prevents the race condition from happening.
References
- ubuntu.com/security/CVE-2024-55916 (opens in a new tab)
- cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-55916 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/linus/07a756a49f4b4290b49ea46e089cbe6f79ff8d26 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/042253c57be901bfd19f15b68267442b70f510d5 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/07a756a49f4b4290b49ea46e089cbe6f79ff8d26 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dd7a30c6d7f90afcf19e9b072f572ba524d7ec6 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/718fe694a334be9d1a89eed22602369ac18d6583 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/89fcec5e466b3ac9b376e0d621c71effa1a7983f (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/d81f4e73aff9b861671df60e5100ad25cc16fbf8 (opens in a new tab)
- git.kernel.org/stable/c/f091a224a2c82f1e302b1768d73bb6332f687321 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7379-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7380-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7381-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7382-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7388-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7389-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7390-1 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-2 (opens in a new tab)
- ubuntu.com/security/notices/USN-7387-3 (opens in a new tab)