high CVSS 7.8

CVE-2024-50261·Kernel vulnerability

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: macsec: Fix use-after-free while sending the offloading packet KASAN reports the following UAF. The metadata_dst, which is used to store the SCI value for macsec offload, is already freed by metadata_dst_free() in macsec_free_netdev(), while driver still use it for sending the packet. To fix this issue, dst_release() is used instead to release metadata_dst. So it is not freed instantly in macsec_free_netdev() if still referenced by skb. BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mlx5e_xmit+0x1e8f/0x4190 [mlx5_core] Read of size 2 at addr ffff88813e42e038 by task kworker/7:2/714 [...] Workqueue: mld mld_ifc_work Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x51/0x60 print_report+0xc1/0x600 kasan_report+0xab/0xe0 mlx5e_xmit+0x1e8f/0x4190 [mlx5_core] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x120/0x530 sch_direct_xmit+0x149/0x11e0 __qdisc_run+0x3ad/0x1730 __dev_queue_xmit+0x1196/0x2ed0 vlan_dev_hard_start_xmit+0x32e/0x510 [8021q] dev_hard_start_xmit+0x120/0x530 __dev_queue_xmit+0x14a7/0x2ed0 macsec_start_xmit+0x13e9/0x2340 dev_hard_start_xmit+0x120/0x530 __dev_queue_xmit+0x14a7/0x2ed0 ip6_finish_output2+0x923/0x1a70 ip6_finish_output+0x2d7/0x970 ip6_output+0x1ce/0x3a0 NF_HOOK.constprop.0+0x15f/0x190 mld_sendpack+0x59a/0xbd0 mld_ifc_work+0x48a/0xa80 process_one_work+0x5aa/0xe50 worker_thread+0x79c/0x1290 kthread+0x28f/0x350 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x70 ret_from_fork_asm+0x11/0x20 </TASK> Allocated by task 3922: kasan_save_stack+0x20/0x40 kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 __kasan_kmalloc+0x77/0x90 __kmalloc_noprof+0x188/0x400 metadata_dst_alloc+0x1f/0x4e0 macsec_newlink+0x914/0x1410 __rtnl_newlink+0xe08/0x15b0 rtnl_newlink+0x5f/0x90 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x667/0xa80 netlink_rcv_skb+0x12c/0x360 netlink_unicast+0x551/0x770 netlink_sendmsg+0x72d/0xbd0 __sock_sendmsg+0xc5/0x190 ____sys_sendmsg+0x52e/0x6a0 ___sys_sendmsg+0xeb/0x170 __sys_sendmsg+0xb5/0x140 do_syscall_64+0x4c/0x100 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 Freed by task 4011: kasan_save_stack+0x20/0x40 kasan_save_track+0x10/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x37/0x50 poison_slab_object+0x10c/0x190 __kasan_slab_free+0x11/0x30 kfree+0xe0/0x290 macsec_free_netdev+0x3f/0x140 netdev_run_todo+0x450/0xc70 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x66f/0xa80 netlink_rcv_skb+0x12c/0x360 netlink_unicast+0x551/0x770 netlink_sendmsg+0x72d/0xbd0 __sock_sendmsg+0xc5/0x190 ____sys_sendmsg+0x52e/0x6a0 ___sys_sendmsg+0xeb/0x170 __sys_sendmsg+0xb5/0x140 do_syscall_64+0x4c/0x100 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53

Severity
high
Software
Kernel
Fixed in
6.11.7
Published
2024-11-09

Affected versions

From: 6.7

Until: 6.11.7

Fixed in: 6.11.7

How to fix this CVE

Update your Linux kernel to version 6.11.7 or later to resolve a use-after-free vulnerability in the MACsec offloading subsystem. This flaw could cause kernel crashes or memory corruption when network packets are transmitted through MACsec-enabled interfaces. Apply the patch immediately to systems using kernel versions 6.7 through 6.11.6.

sudo dnf update kernel kernel-devel

Defensia detects this vulnerability

How to check if you are affected

  1. Run 'uname -r' to check your currently running kernel version
  2. Verify if MACsec is enabled on any interfaces by running 'ip macsec show' or checking 'ip link show' for 'macsec' device types
  3. Check dmesg logs for KASAN reports containing 'slab-use-after-free' or 'mlx5e_xmit' to identify if the vulnerability was triggered
  4. Confirm the fix by rebooting to the patched kernel and verifying the version with 'uname -r' matches 6.11.7 or later

FAQ

What is CVE-2024-50261?

CVE-2024-50261 is a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's MACsec offloading implementation where network drivers attempt to access metadata that has been freed, potentially causing kernel crashes or memory corruption during packet transmission.

Is CVE-2024-50261 being actively exploited?

No, this vulnerability is not currently listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog and no public exploits are available. However, it can be triggered through normal network operations on affected systems.

What versions of Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-50261?

Linux kernel versions 6.7 through 6.11.6 are affected. The vulnerability is fixed in kernel 6.11.7 and later.

How do I check if my server is vulnerable to CVE-2024-50261?

Run 'uname -r' to get your kernel version. If it shows a version between 6.7 and 6.11.6, your system is vulnerable. Additionally, check if MACsec is configured with 'ip macsec show' or 'ethtool' to see if the vulnerable code path is in use.

Does Defensia detect CVE-2024-50261?

Yes — Defensia's CVE advisory scanner compares installed package versions against the NVD database. If Kernel is installed on a monitored server, CVE-2024-50261 will appear in your dashboard with remediation steps.

Related Kernel CVEs

CVE-2024-42256CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: cifs: Fix server re-repick on subrequest retry When a subrequest is marked for needing retry, netfs will call cifs_prepare_write() which will make cifs repick the server for the op before renegotiating credits; it then calls cifs_issue_write() which invokes smb2_async_writev() - which re-repicks the server. If a different server is then selected, this causes the increment of server->in_flight to happen against one record and the decrement to happen against another, leading to misaccounting. Fix this by just removing the repick code in smb2_async_writev(). As this is only called from netfslib-driven code, cifs_prepare_write() should always have been called first, and so server should never be NULL and the preparatory step is repeated in the event that we do a retry. The problem manifests as a warning looking something like: WARNING: CPU: 4 PID: 72896 at fs/smb/client/smb2ops.c:97 smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... RIP: 0010:smb2_add_credits+0x3f0/0x9e0 [cifs] ... smb2_writev_callback+0x334/0x560 [cifs] cifs_demultiplex_thread+0x77a/0x11b0 [cifs] kthread+0x187/0x1d0 ret_from_fork+0x34/0x60 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 Which may be triggered by a number of different xfstests running against an Azure server in multichannel mode. generic/249 seems the most repeatable, but generic/215, generic/249 and generic/308 may also show it.
CVE-2024-36031CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: keys: Fix overwrite of key expiration on instantiation The expiry time of a key is unconditionally overwritten during instantiation, defaulting to turn it permanent. This causes a problem for DNS resolution as the expiration set by user-space is overwritten to TIME64_MAX, disabling further DNS updates. Fix this by restoring the condition that key_set_expiry is only called when the pre-parser sets a specific expiry.
CVE-2024-38612CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ipv6: sr: fix invalid unregister error path The error path of seg6_init() is wrong in case CONFIG_IPV6_SEG6_LWTUNNEL is not defined. In that case if seg6_hmac_init() fails, the genl_unregister_family() isn't called. This issue exist since commit 46738b1317e1 ("ipv6: sr: add option to control lwtunnel support"), and commit 5559cea2d5aa ("ipv6: sr: fix possible use-after-free and null-ptr-deref") replaced unregister_pernet_subsys() with genl_unregister_family() in this error path.
CVE-2024-38623CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: fs/ntfs3: Use variable length array instead of fixed size Should fix smatch warning: ntfs_set_label() error: __builtin_memcpy() 'uni->name' too small (20 vs 256)
CVE-2021-47548CVSS 9.8In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ethernet: hisilicon: hns: hns_dsaf_misc: fix a possible array overflow in hns_dsaf_ge_srst_by_port() The if statement: if (port >= DSAF_GE_NUM) return; limits the value of port less than DSAF_GE_NUM (i.e., 8). However, if the value of port is 6 or 7, an array overflow could occur: port_rst_off = dsaf_dev->mac_cb[port]->port_rst_off; because the length of dsaf_dev->mac_cb is DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM (i.e., 6). To fix this possible array overflow, we first check port and if it is greater than or equal to DSAF_MAX_PORT_NUM, the function returns.

References

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