high CVSS 7.8 EPSS <0.1%

CVE-2024-40954·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net: do not leave a dangling sk pointer, when socket creation fails It is possible to trigger a use-after-free by: * attaching an fentry probe to __sock_release() and the probe calling the bpf_get_socket_cookie() helper * running traceroute -I 1.1.1.1 on a freshly booted VM A KASAN enabled kernel will log something like below (decoded and stripped): ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in __sock_gen_cookie (./arch/x86/include/asm/atomic64_64.h:15 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h:2583 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:1611 net/core/sock_diag.c:29) Read of size 8 at addr ffff888007110dd8 by task traceroute/299 CPU: 2 PID: 299 Comm: traceroute Tainted: G E 6.10.0-rc2+ #2 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.2-debian-1.16.2-1 04/01/2014 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl (lib/dump_stack.c:117 (discriminator 1)) print_report (mm/kasan/report.c:378 mm/kasan/report.c:488) ? __sock_gen_cookie (./arch/x86/include/asm/atomic64_64.h:15 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h:2583 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:1611 net/core/sock_diag.c:29) kasan_report (mm/kasan/report.c:603) ? __sock_gen_cookie (./arch/x86/include/asm/atomic64_64.h:15 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h:2583 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:1611 net/core/sock_diag.c:29) kasan_check_range (mm/kasan/generic.c:183 mm/kasan/generic.c:189) __sock_gen_cookie (./arch/x86/include/asm/atomic64_64.h:15 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-arch-fallback.h:2583 ./include/linux/atomic/atomic-instrumented.h:1611 net/core/sock_diag.c:29) bpf_get_socket_ptr_cookie (./arch/x86/include/asm/preempt.h:94 ./include/linux/sock_diag.h:42 net/core/filter.c:5094 net/core/filter.c:5092) bpf_prog_875642cf11f1d139___sock_release+0x6e/0x8e bpf_trampoline_6442506592+0x47/0xaf __sock_release (net/socket.c:652) __sock_create (net/socket.c:1601) ... Allocated by task 299 on cpu 2 at 78.328492s: kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:48) kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:68) __kasan_slab_alloc (mm/kasan/common.c:312 mm/kasan/common.c:338) kmem_cache_alloc_noprof (mm/slub.c:3941 mm/slub.c:4000 mm/slub.c:4007) sk_prot_alloc (net/core/sock.c:2075) sk_alloc (net/core/sock.c:2134) inet_create (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:327 net/ipv4/af_inet.c:252) __sock_create (net/socket.c:1572) __sys_socket (net/socket.c:1660 net/socket.c:1644 net/socket.c:1706) __x64_sys_socket (net/socket.c:1718) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) Freed by task 299 on cpu 2 at 78.328502s: kasan_save_stack (mm/kasan/common.c:48) kasan_save_track (mm/kasan/common.c:68) kasan_save_free_info (mm/kasan/generic.c:582) poison_slab_object (mm/kasan/common.c:242) __kasan_slab_free (mm/kasan/common.c:256) kmem_cache_free (mm/slub.c:4437 mm/slub.c:4511) __sk_destruct (net/core/sock.c:2117 net/core/sock.c:2208) inet_create (net/ipv4/af_inet.c:397 net/ipv4/af_inet.c:252) __sock_create (net/socket.c:1572) __sys_socket (net/socket.c:1660 net/socket.c:1644 net/socket.c:1706) __x64_sys_socket (net/socket.c:1718) do_syscall_64 (arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83) entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe (arch/x86/entry/entry_64.S:130) Fix this by clearing the struct socket reference in sk_common_release() to cover all protocol families create functions, which may already attached the reference to the sk object with sock_init_data().

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.9.7
Published

How likely is exploitation

FIRST's Exploit Prediction Scoring System puts the probability of this CVE being exploited in the next 30 days at <0.1% — higher than 2% of all published CVEs. EPSS is an independent forecast of exploitation, not a severity rating: it says nothing about how much damage a successful attack does, which is what a CVSS score measures.

Read the two together. CVE-2024-40954 scores 7.8 on CVSS, so a successful attack would be serious — but at <0.1%, almost nobody is currently attempting it. That is a different situation from a flaw under mass exploitation, and it is usually the difference between patching on your next maintenance window and patching tonight.

Affected versions

From: 6.7

Until: 6.9.7

Fixed in: 6.9.7

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.9.7 or later to resolve this use-after-free vulnerability in socket creation. The fix clears dangling socket pointers during failed socket initialization, preventing memory safety violations. Apply the kernel update through your distribution's package manager and reboot to activate the patched version.

sudo dnf update kernel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Check kernel version: uname -r — verify if it's between 6.7 and 6.9.6 (vulnerable range)
  2. Verify socket creation monitoring: cat /proc/sys/net/ipv4/tcp_max_tw_buckets — indicates active socket operations
  3. Search kernel logs for KASAN memory errors: sudo dmesg | grep -i 'use-after-free\|slab-use-after-free' — look for socket-related allocations
  4. Confirm fix application: uname -r should show 6.9.7 or later, and dmesg should contain no socket-related KASAN warnings after reboot

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-40954?

This is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's socket creation path that occurs when socket initialization fails. It can be triggered when eBPF probes attach to socket release functions and attempt to access freed memory structures during failed socket creation.

Is CVE-2024-40954 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2024-40954 is not listed on the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and no public exploits are currently available.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-40954?

Kernel versions 6.7 through 6.9.6 are affected. Version 6.9.7 and later contain the fix.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-40954?

Run 'uname -r' and compare the output to the vulnerable range 6.7-6.9.6. If your kernel falls within this range, your system is vulnerable and requires immediate patching.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-40954?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-40954 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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CVE-2026-64268CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/siw: bound Read Response placement to the RREAD length In drivers/infiniband/sw/siw/siw_qp_rx.c, siw_proc_rresp() places each inbound Read Response DDP segment at sge->laddr + wqe->processed and then accumulates wqe->processed, but it never checks the running total against the sink buffer length on continuation segments. siw_check_sge() resolves and validates the sink memory only on the first fragment (the if (!*mem) branch), and siw_rresp_check_ntoh() compares the cumulative length against wqe->bytes only on the final segment (the !frx->more_ddp_segs guard). A connected siw peer that answers an outstanding RREAD with Read Response segments that keep the DDP Last flag clear, carrying more total payload than the RREAD requested, drives wqe->processed past the validated sink buffer; the next siw_rx_data() call writes out of bounds at sge->laddr + wqe->processed. siw runs iWARP over ordinary routable TCP, so the peer is the remote end of an established RDMA connection and needs no local privilege. Bound every segment before placement, exactly as siw_proc_send() and siw_proc_write() already do for their tagged and untagged paths, and terminate the connection with a base-or-bounds DDP error when the Read Response would overrun the sink buffer. This is the second receive-path length fix for this file. A separate change rejects an MPA FPDU length that underflows the per-fragment remainder in the header decode; that guard does not cover this case, because here each individual segment length is self-consistent and only the accumulated placement offset overruns the buffer.
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References

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