CVE-2024-26674
📋 TL;DR
A Linux kernel vulnerability in x86 architecture memory access functions causes kernel panic during hardware memory errors when accessing userspace memory. This affects Linux systems running vulnerable kernel versions, potentially causing denial of service during memory corruption events.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel
📦 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...
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 leading to system crash and denial of service during hardware memory errors or targeted exploitation.
Likely Case
System instability or crash when encountering memory errors during userspace memory access operations.
If Mitigated
Proper kernel patching prevents the panic, allowing graceful error handling during memory access faults.
🎯 Exploit Status
Primarily a reliability issue rather than a security vulnerability, but could be leveraged for DoS in specific scenarios.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patched in stable kernel releases via commits 2aed1b6c33afd8599d01c6532bbecb829480a674 and related
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aed1b6c33afd8599d01c6532bbecb829480a674
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from official distribution repositories. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable memory error injection
linuxPrevent triggering of the vulnerability by disabling memory error injection testing
echo 0 > /sys/kernel/debug/apei/einj/mem-error-inject
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system logs for machine check exceptions and kernel panic events
- Implement system redundancy and failover to minimize impact of potential crashes
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version: uname -r. If version is >= 6.4 and not patched, system is vulnerable.Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes the fix commits or is from a distribution that has backported the patches.📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages with 'Fatal local machine check'
- MCA (Machine Check Architecture) error logs
- Messages about unrecoverable area of kernel
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
search 'Kernel panic' AND 'machine check' OR 'Fatal local machine check'🔗 References
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aed1b6c33afd8599d01c6532bbecb829480a674
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2da241c5ed78d0978228a1150735539fe1a60eca
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8eed4e00a370b37b4e5985ed983dccedd555ea9d
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2aed1b6c33afd8599d01c6532bbecb829480a674
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2da241c5ed78d0978228a1150735539fe1a60eca
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/8eed4e00a370b37b4e5985ed983dccedd555ea9d
