high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2024-46738·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: VMCI: Fix use-after-free when removing resource in vmci_resource_remove() When removing a resource from vmci_resource_table in vmci_resource_remove(), the search is performed using the resource handle by comparing context and resource fields. It is possible though to create two resources with different types but same handle (same context and resource fields). When trying to remove one of the resources, vmci_resource_remove() may not remove the intended one, but the object will still be freed as in the case of the datagram type in vmci_datagram_destroy_handle(). vmci_resource_table will still hold a pointer to this freed resource leading to a use-after-free vulnerability. BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in vmci_handle_is_equal include/linux/vmw_vmci_defs.h:142 [inline] BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in vmci_resource_remove+0x3a1/0x410 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_resource.c:147 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88801c16d800 by task syz-executor197/1592 Call Trace: <TASK> __dump_stack lib/dump_stack.c:88 [inline] dump_stack_lvl+0x82/0xa9 lib/dump_stack.c:106 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x21/0x366 mm/kasan/report.c:239 __kasan_report.cold+0x7f/0x132 mm/kasan/report.c:425 kasan_report+0x38/0x51 mm/kasan/report.c:442 vmci_handle_is_equal include/linux/vmw_vmci_defs.h:142 [inline] vmci_resource_remove+0x3a1/0x410 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_resource.c:147 vmci_qp_broker_detach+0x89a/0x11b9 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_queue_pair.c:2182 ctx_free_ctx+0x473/0xbe1 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_context.c:444 kref_put include/linux/kref.h:65 [inline] vmci_ctx_put drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_context.c:497 [inline] vmci_ctx_destroy+0x170/0x1d6 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_context.c:195 vmci_host_close+0x125/0x1ac drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_host.c:143 __fput+0x261/0xa34 fs/file_table.c:282 task_work_run+0xf0/0x194 kernel/task_work.c:164 tracehook_notify_resume include/linux/tracehook.h:189 [inline] exit_to_user_mode_loop+0x184/0x189 kernel/entry/common.c:187 exit_to_user_mode_prepare+0x11b/0x123 kernel/entry/common.c:220 __syscall_exit_to_user_mode_work kernel/entry/common.c:302 [inline] syscall_exit_to_user_mode+0x18/0x42 kernel/entry/common.c:313 do_syscall_64+0x41/0x85 arch/x86/entry/common.c:86 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x6e/0x0 This change ensures the type is also checked when removing the resource from vmci_resource_table in vmci_resource_remove().

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.10.10
Published
2024-09-18

Affected versions

From: 6.7

Until: 6.10.10

Fixed in: 6.10.10

How to fix this CVE

Update the Linux kernel to version 6.10.10 or later to patch the use-after-free vulnerability in the VMCI resource management subsystem. The fix adds type checking to resource removal operations, preventing incorrect resource deletion and subsequent memory access violations. Apply kernel updates immediately and reboot to activate the patched version.

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
  2. Step 2: Verify VMCI module is loaded with: lsmod | grep vmci
  3. Step 3: Search system logs for KASAN use-after-free warnings related to vmci_resource_remove with: sudo grep -i 'vmci_resource_remove\|use-after-free' /var/log/kern.log /var/log/messages 2>/dev/null
  4. Step 4: After patching, confirm the new kernel version with: uname -r (should show 6.10.10 or higher)

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-46738?

CVE-2024-46738 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's VMCI (Virtual Machine Communication Interface) subsystem where resources with identical handles but different types can cause incorrect resource removal, leaving freed memory pointers in the resource table.

Is CVE-2024-46738 being actively exploited?

No, CVE-2024-46738 is not currently being actively exploited in the wild according to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog, and no public exploits are available.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-46738?

Linux kernel versions 6.7 through 6.10.10 (inclusive) are vulnerable. Systems running kernel 6.10.10 or later, or 6.11 and later, are not affected.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-46738?

Run 'uname -r' to get your kernel version. If it shows any version from 6.7 to 6.10.9, your system is vulnerable. Additionally, check if the vmci kernel module is loaded with 'lsmod | grep vmci' to determine exposure.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-46738?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-46738 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

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-2026-64397CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: serialize QUERY_DIRECTORY requests per file smb2_query_dir() stores a pointer to its stack-allocated private data in the ksmbd_file readdir_data. Concurrent QUERY_DIRECTORY requests using the same file handle can overwrite this pointer while an iterate_dir() callback is still using it, resulting in a stack use-after-free. Add a per-file mutex and hold it while accessing the shared directory enumeration state. The lock covers scan restart, dot entry state, readdir_data setup and iteration, and response construction. This prevents another request from replacing readdir_data.private before the current request has finished using it and also serializes the shared file position.
CVE-2026-64399CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ksmbd: add permission checks for FSCTL_DUPLICATE_EXTENTS_TO_FILE The FSCTL_DUPLICATE_EXTENTS_TO_FILE arm of smb2_ioctl() overwrites the destination file's data via vfs_clone_file_range() with neither the share-level KSMBD_TREE_CONN_FLAG_WRITABLE check nor a per-handle fp->daccess check that the other write-bearing arms carry. A client can overwrite destination data on a read-only share, or from a handle opened with only FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES (which still yields an FMODE_WRITE filp). FILE_WRITE_ATTRIBUTES-only destination handle overwrote the file's data via the clone. Add both checks, matching the FSCTL_SET_SPARSE permission fix; require FILE_WRITE_DATA since this writes data.
CVE-2026-64066CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: netfs: Fix netfs_read_to_pagecache() to pause on subreq failure Fix netfs_read_to_pagecache() so that it pauses the generation of new subrequests if an already-issued subrequest fails.
CVE-2026-52924CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: sctp: purge outqueue on stale COOKIE-ECHO handling sctp_stream_update() is only invoked when the association is moved into COOKIE_WAIT during association setup/reconfiguration. In this path, the outbound stream scheduler state (stream->out_curr) is expected to be clean, since no user data should have been transmitted yet unless the state machine has already partially progressed. However, a corner case exists in sctp_sf_do_5_2_6_stale(): when a Stale Cookie ERROR is received, the association is rolled back from COOKIE_ECHOED to COOKIE_WAIT. In this scenario, user data may already have been queued and even bundled with the COOKIE-ECHO chunk. During the rollback, sctp_stream_update() frees the old stream table and installs a new one, but it does not invalidate stream->out_curr. As a result, out_curr may still point to a freed sctp_stream_out entry from the previous stream state. Later, SCTP scheduler dequeue paths (FCFS, RR, PRIO, etc.) rely on stream->out_curr->ext, which can lead to use-after-free once the old stream state has been released via sctp_stream_free(). This results in crashes such as (reported by Yuqi): BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in sctp_sched_fcfs_dequeue+0x13a/0x140 Read of size 8 at addr ff1100004d4d3208 by task mini_poc/9312 CPU: 1 UID: 1001 PID: 9312 Comm: mini_poc Not tainted 7.1.0-rc1-00305-gbd3a4795d574 #5 PREEMPT(full) sctp_sched_fcfs_dequeue+0x13a/0x140 sctp_outq_flush+0x1603/0x33e0 sctp_do_sm+0x31c9/0x5d30 sctp_assoc_bh_rcv+0x392/0x6f0 sctp_inq_push+0x1db/0x270 sctp_rcv+0x138d/0x3c10 Fix this by fully purging the association outqueue when handling the Stale Cookie case. This ensures all pending transmit and retransmit state is dropped, and any scheduler cached pointers are invalidated, making it safe to rebuild stream state during COOKIE_WAIT restart. Updating only stream->out_curr would be insufficient, since queued and retransmittable data would still reference the old stream state and trigger later use-after-free in dequeue paths.

References

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