CVE-2024-26610 – This CVE describes a memory corruption vulnerab... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-26610?

CVE-2024-26610 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes a memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver, which handles Intel wireless network adapters. An attacker could exploit this to write past allocated buffer boundaries, potentially leading to system crashes or arbitrary code execution. Systems using affected Intel wireless hardware with vulnerable kernel versions are impacted.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's iwlwifi driver, which handles Intel wireless network adapters. An attacker could exploit this to write past allocated buffer boundaries, potentially leading to system crashes or arbitrary code execution. Systems using affected Intel wireless hardware with vulnerable kernel versions are impacted.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with iwlwifi driver

Versions: Specific kernel versions containing the vulnerable code (check git commits for exact ranges)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Intel wireless hardware using the iwlwifi driver. The vulnerability is in the driver's firmware debugging functionality.

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

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Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

Linux Kernel by Linux

The Linux Kernel is the core component of the Linux operating system, serving as the critical interface between computer hardware and software processes. As the heart of millions of servers, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, Android devices, and IoT deployments worldwide, the Linux Kernel mana...

Learn more about Linux Kernel →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel panic, system crash, or remote code execution with kernel privileges leading to complete system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, crashes, or denial of service affecting wireless connectivity.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if systems are patched or don't use vulnerable Intel wireless hardware.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local network access or physical proximity for wireless exploitation.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal attackers with network access could potentially exploit this vulnerability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires access to the wireless interface and knowledge of the driver's debugging features. No public exploits are known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing the fixes from the provided git commits

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05dd9facfb9a1e056752c0901c6e86416037d15a

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix. 2. For distributions: Use package manager (apt/yum/dnf) to update kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable iwlwifi driver

linux

Temporarily disable the vulnerable wireless driver

sudo modprobe -r iwlwifi

Disable firmware debugging

linux

Prevent access to the vulnerable debugging functionality

echo 0 | sudo tee /sys/kernel/debug/iwlwifi/*/fw_dbg_conf

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable wireless functionality and use wired networking only
Implement network segmentation to limit wireless network access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if iwlwifi module is loaded: lsmod | grep iwlwifi

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and check dmesg for iwlwifi driver loading without errors

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
iwlwifi driver crash logs in dmesg
System instability after wireless operations

Network Indicators:

Unexpected wireless disconnections
Abnormal wireless traffic patterns

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "iwlwifi")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-26610

CVSS v3 Score: 7.8 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-787

Published: March 11, 2024

Last Updated: December 12, 2024

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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