high CVSS 7

CVE-2024-43882·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: exec: Fix ToCToU between perm check and set-uid/gid usage When opening a file for exec via do_filp_open(), permission checking is done against the file's metadata at that moment, and on success, a file pointer is passed back. Much later in the execve() code path, the file metadata (specifically mode, uid, and gid) is used to determine if/how to set the uid and gid. However, those values may have changed since the permissions check, meaning the execution may gain unintended privileges. For example, if a file could change permissions from executable and not set-id: ---------x 1 root root 16048 Aug 7 13:16 target to set-id and non-executable: ---S------ 1 root root 16048 Aug 7 13:16 target it is possible to gain root privileges when execution should have been disallowed. While this race condition is rare in real-world scenarios, it has been observed (and proven exploitable) when package managers are updating the setuid bits of installed programs. Such files start with being world-executable but then are adjusted to be group-exec with a set-uid bit. For example, "chmod o-x,u+s target" makes "target" executable only by uid "root" and gid "cdrom", while also becoming setuid-root: -rwxr-xr-x 1 root cdrom 16048 Aug 7 13:16 target becomes: -rwsr-xr-- 1 root cdrom 16048 Aug 7 13:16 target But racing the chmod means users without group "cdrom" membership can get the permission to execute "target" just before the chmod, and when the chmod finishes, the exec reaches brpm_fill_uid(), and performs the setuid to root, violating the expressed authorization of "only cdrom group members can setuid to root". Re-check that we still have execute permissions in case the metadata has changed. It would be better to keep a copy from the perm-check time, but until we can do that refactoring, the least-bad option is to do a full inode_permission() call (under inode lock). It is understood that this is safe against dead-locks, but hardly optimal.

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.10.6
Published
2024-08-21

Affected versions

From: 6.7

Until: 6.10.6

Fixed in: 6.10.6

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.10.6 or later to patch a race condition in the exec subsystem that could allow privilege escalation. This vulnerability affects kernels 6.7 through 6.10.5 and occurs when file permissions change between the initial permission check and the actual setuid/setgid operation. Apply the kernel update immediately and reboot your system to mitigate the risk.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel && sudo reboot

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Step 1: Check current kernel version with `uname -r` and compare against fixed version 6.10.6 or later
  2. Step 2: Verify if setuid/setgid binaries exist on the system with `find / -perm /4000 -o -perm /2000 2>/dev/null | head -20`
  3. Step 3: Search system logs for suspicious permission changes during exec operations: `grep -i 'permission\|chmod\|exec' /var/log/audit/audit.log | tail -100`
  4. Step 4: After applying the kernel update, confirm the patch was installed with `uname -r` and verify it shows kernel version 6.10.6 or higher

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-43882?

CVE-2024-43882 is a time-of-check-to-time-of-use (ToCToU) race condition in the Linux kernel's exec subsystem. An attacker can exploit a window between the initial permission check and the actual setuid/setgid operation to gain unintended elevated privileges when file permissions are modified during execution.

Is CVE-2024-43882 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2024-43882 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog and no public exploit code is currently available. However, the vulnerability has been demonstrated to be exploitable in controlled scenarios, particularly during package manager updates.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-43882?

Linux kernel versions 6.7 through 6.10.5 are vulnerable. Version 6.10.6 and later contain the fix that re-checks execute permissions under inode lock to prevent the race condition.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-43882?

Run `uname -r` to check your kernel version. If the version is between 6.7 and 6.10.5 (inclusive), your system is vulnerable. Systems running kernel 6.10.6 or later are patched.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-43882?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If the Linux kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-43882 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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CVE-2026-64037CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: iwlwifi: mld: fix TSO segmentation explosion when AMSDU is disabled When the TLC notification disables AMSDU for a TID, the MLD driver sets max_tid_amsdu_len to the sentinel value 1. The TSO segmentation path in iwl_mld_tx_tso_segment() checks for zero but not for this sentinel, allowing it to reach the num_subframes calculation: num_subframes = (max_tid_amsdu_len + pad) / (subf_len + pad) = (1 + 2) / (1534 + 2) = 0 This zero propagates to iwl_tx_tso_segment() which sets: gso_size = num_subframes * mss = 0 Calling skb_gso_segment() with gso_size=0 creates over 32000 tiny segments from a single GSO skb. This floods the TX ring with ~1024 micro-frames (the rest are purged), creating a massive burst of TX completion events that can lead to memory corruption and a subsequent use-after-free in TCP's retransmit queue (refcount underflow in tcp_shifted_skb, NULL deref in tcp_rack_detect_loss). The MVM driver is immune because it checks mvmsta->amsdu_enabled before reaching the num_subframes calculation. The MLD driver has no equivalent bitmap check and relies solely on max_tid_amsdu_len, which does not catch the sentinel value. Fix this by detecting the sentinel value (max_tid_amsdu_len == 1) at the existing check and falling back to non-AMSDU TSO segmentation. Also add a WARN_ON_ONCE guard after the num_subframes division as defense-in-depth to catch any future code paths that produce zero through a different mechanism.
CVE-2026-100075CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: RDMA/srpt: Fix srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() unwind counters When srpt_alloc_rw_ctxs() fails partway through a multi-buffer indirect descriptor, the unwind path destroys RDMA contexts but leaves stale n_rw_ctx and n_rdma values (and a dangling rw_ctxs pointer). Later sq_wr_avail accounting in srpt_queue_response() or srpt_write_pending() can then subtract the wrong number of send queue credits. Reset the counters and clear rw_ctxs after freeing the heap allocation before returning an error.
CVE-2026-64035CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: igc: set tx buffer type for SMD frames Sashiko pointed out that igc_fpe_init_smd_frame() initializes igc_tx_buffer fields for an SMD skb, but does not set the buffer type: https://sashiko.dev/#/patchset/20260415025226.114115-1-kohei%40enjuk.jp Since igc_tx_buffer entries are reused, a stale XDP or XSK type can remain and make TX completion use the wrong cleanup path. Set the buffer type to IGC_TX_BUFFER_TYPE_SKB.
CVE-2026-64007CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfilter: synproxy: refresh tcphdr after skb_ensure_writable synproxy_tstamp_adjust() rewrites the TCP timestamp option in place and then patches the TCP checksum via inet_proto_csum_replace4() on the caller-supplied tcphdr pointer. Both ipv4_synproxy_hook() and ipv6_synproxy_hook() obtain that pointer with skb_header_pointer() before calling in, so it may either alias skb->head directly or point at the caller's on-stack _tcph buffer. Between obtaining the pointer and using it, the function calls skb_ensure_writable(skb, optend), which on a cloned or non-linear skb invokes pskb_expand_head() and frees the old skb->head. After that point the cached th is stale: caller (ipv[46]_synproxy_hook) th = skb_header_pointer(skb, ..., &_tcph) synproxy_tstamp_adjust(skb, protoff, th, ...) skb_ensure_writable(skb, optend) pskb_expand_head() /* kfree(old skb->head) */ ... inet_proto_csum_replace4(&th->check, ...) /* writes into freed head, or into the caller's stack copy leaving the on-wire checksum stale */ The option bytes are written through skb->data and are fine; only the checksum update goes through th and so lands in the wrong place. The result is either a write into freed slab memory or a packet leaving with a checksum that does not match its payload. Fix by re-deriving th from skb->data + protoff immediately after skb_ensure_writable() succeeds, so the subsequent checksum update targets the linear, writable header.

References

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