CVE-2024-44987·Kernel vulnerability
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: prevent UAF in ip6_send_skb() syzbot reported an UAF in ip6_send_skb() [1] After ip6_local_out() has returned, we no longer can safely dereference rt, unless we hold rcu_read_lock(). A similar issue has been fixed in commit a688caa34beb ("ipv6: take rcu lock in rawv6_send_hdrinc()") Another potential issue in ip6_finish_output2() is handled in a separate patch. [1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in ip6_send_skb+0x18d/0x230 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1964 Read of size 8 at addr ffff88806dde4858 by task syz.1.380/6530 CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 6530 Comm: syz.1.380 Not tainted 6.11.0-rc3-syzkaller-00306-gdf6cbc62cc9b #0 Hardware name: Google Google Compute Engine/Google Compute Engine, BIOS Google 08/06/2024 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:93 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x241/0x360 lib/dump_stack.c:119 print_address_description mm/kasan/report.c:377 [inline] print_report+0x169/0x550 mm/kasan/report.c:488 kasan_report+0x143/0x180 mm/kasan/report.c:601 ip6_send_skb+0x18d/0x230 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1964 rawv6_push_pending_frames+0x75c/0x9e0 net/ipv6/raw.c:588 rawv6_sendmsg+0x19c7/0x23c0 net/ipv6/raw.c:926 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:730 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0x1a6/0x270 net/socket.c:745 sock_write_iter+0x2dd/0x400 net/socket.c:1160 do_iter_readv_writev+0x60a/0x890 vfs_writev+0x37c/0xbb0 fs/read_write.c:971 do_writev+0x1b1/0x350 fs/read_write.c:1018 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f RIP: 0033:0x7f936bf79e79 Code: ff ff c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 0f 1f 40 00 48 89 f8 48 89 f7 48 89 d6 48 89 ca 4d 89 c2 4d 89 c8 4c 8b 4c 24 08 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 c7 c1 a8 ff ff ff f7 d8 64 89 01 48 RSP: 002b:00007f936cd7f038 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000014 RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007f936c115f80 RCX: 00007f936bf79e79 RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 0000000020000040 RDI: 0000000000000004 RBP: 00007f936bfe7916 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 0000000000000000 R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000000000 R13: 0000000000000000 R14: 00007f936c115f80 R15: 00007fff2860a7a8 </TASK> Allocated by task 6530: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3f/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 unpoison_slab_object mm/kasan/common.c:312 [inline] __kasan_slab_alloc+0x66/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:338 kasan_slab_alloc include/linux/kasan.h:201 [inline] slab_post_alloc_hook mm/slub.c:3988 [inline] slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:4037 [inline] kmem_cache_alloc_noprof+0x135/0x2a0 mm/slub.c:4044 dst_alloc+0x12b/0x190 net/core/dst.c:89 ip6_blackhole_route+0x59/0x340 net/ipv6/route.c:2670 make_blackhole net/xfrm/xfrm_policy.c:3120 [inline] xfrm_lookup_route+0xd1/0x1c0 net/xfrm/xfrm_policy.c:3313 ip6_dst_lookup_flow+0x13e/0x180 net/ipv6/ip6_output.c:1257 rawv6_sendmsg+0x1283/0x23c0 net/ipv6/raw.c:898 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:730 [inline] __sock_sendmsg+0x1a6/0x270 net/socket.c:745 ____sys_sendmsg+0x525/0x7d0 net/socket.c:2597 ___sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2651 [inline] __sys_sendmsg+0x2b0/0x3a0 net/socket.c:2680 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline] do_syscall_64+0xf3/0x230 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f Freed by task 45: kasan_save_stack mm/kasan/common.c:47 [inline] kasan_save_track+0x3f/0x80 mm/kasan/common.c:68 kasan_save_free_info+0x40/0x50 mm/kasan/generic.c:579 poison_slab_object+0xe0/0x150 mm/kasan/common.c:240 __kasan_slab_free+0x37/0x60 mm/kasan/common.c:256 kasan_slab_free include/linux/kasan.h:184 [inline] slab_free_hook mm/slub.c:2252 [inline] slab_free mm/slub.c:4473 [inline] kmem_cache_free+0x145/0x350 mm/slub.c:4548 dst_destroy+0x2ac/0x460 net/core/dst.c:124 rcu_do_batch kernel/rcu/tree.c:2569 [inline] rcu_core+0xafd/0x1830 kernel/rcu/tree. ---truncated---
- Severity
- high
- Software
- Kernel
- Fixed in
- 6.10.7
- 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 5% 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-2024-44987 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: 6.10.7
Fixed in: 6.10.7
How to fix this CVE
Update your Linux kernel to version 6.10.7 or later to patch a use-after-free vulnerability in IPv6 packet transmission. This flaw can be triggered by unprivileged local users sending crafted IPv6 packets, potentially leading to kernel memory corruption and privilege escalation. Apply the security update immediately on all affected systems.
sudo dnf update kernel kernel-develDefensia detects this vulnerability
How to check if you are affected
- Check kernel version: uname -r — If output shows 6.7.x through 6.10.6, the system is vulnerable
- Verify IPv6 is enabled: cat /proc/net/if_inet6 — If the file exists and contains entries, IPv6 networking is active
- Check for raw socket usage: ss -ln | grep -i ipv6 — Look for applications binding to IPv6 sockets that may be affected
- Confirm patch applied: uname -r — Version should be 6.10.7 or higher; kernel module timestamp should update after reboot
FAQ
What is CVE-2024-44987?
This CVE describes a use-after-free memory safety flaw in the Linux kernel's IPv6 packet transmission code (ip6_send_skb function). After the kernel releases memory for a routing table entry, it may still attempt to access that freed memory, allowing local attackers to corrupt kernel state or escalate privileges.
Is CVE-2024-44987 being actively exploited?
No, CVE-2024-44987 is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public proof-of-concept exploits are currently available, though the vulnerability is realistic and was discovered through automated fuzzing.
What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-44987?
Linux kernel versions 6.7 through 6.10.6 are vulnerable. Version 6.10.7 and later include the fix.
How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-44987?
Run `uname -r` and compare the output against version 6.10.7. If the version is between 6.7.0 and 6.10.6 inclusive, your system is vulnerable.
Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-44987?
Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-44987 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.
Related Kernel CVEs
References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/24e93695b1239fbe4c31e224372be77f82dab69a
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/571567e0277008459750f0728f246086b2659429
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9a3e55afa95ed4ac9eda112d4f918af645d72f25
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/af1dde074ee2ed7dd5bdca4e7e8ba17f44e7b011
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb5880a0de12c7f618d2bdd84e2d985f1e06ed7e
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