CVE-2024-26694 – This vulnerability is a double-free memory corr... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-26694?

CVE-2024-26694 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This vulnerability is a double-free memory corruption bug in the iwlwifi driver in the Linux kernel. It allows attackers to potentially crash the system or execute arbitrary code by exploiting improper memory handling during WiFi firmware loading. All Linux systems using the affected iwlwifi driver are vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

This vulnerability is a double-free memory corruption bug in the iwlwifi driver in the Linux kernel. It allows attackers to potentially crash the system or execute arbitrary code by exploiting improper memory handling during WiFi firmware loading. All Linux systems using the affected iwlwifi driver are vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with iwlwifi driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using Intel WiFi hardware with the iwlwifi driver. Systems without Intel WiFi or with the driver disabled are not vulnerable.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Remote code execution leading to complete system compromise, privilege escalation, or persistent backdoor installation.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic or system crash causing denial of service, potentially requiring physical access to restart.

🟢

If Mitigated

System remains stable if exploit attempts are blocked by security controls or fail due to exploit complexity.

🌐 Internet-Facing: MEDIUM - Requires WiFi connectivity but could potentially be exploited remotely via malicious WiFi packets.

🏢 Internal Only: HIGH - Internal attackers with network access could exploit this to compromise systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires triggering the double-free condition through WiFi firmware loading failures, which may be difficult to reliably achieve remotely.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 353d321f63f7dbfc9ef58498cc732c9fe886a596 or ab9d4bb9a1892439b3123fc52b19e32b9cdf80ad applied

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/353d321f63f7dbfc9ef58498cc732c9fe886a596

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 package. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable iwlwifi driver

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist iwlwifi' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-iwlwifi.conf
rmmod iwlwifi

Disable WiFi interface

linux

Turn off WiFi to prevent driver exploitation

ip link set wlan0 down
rfkill block wifi

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable WiFi functionality and use wired networking only
Implement network segmentation to isolate WiFi networks from critical systems

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if iwlwifi module is loaded: lsmod | grep iwlwifi && uname -r

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is patched and check git commit history for fix commits

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
iwlwifi driver crash logs
Double-free detection in kernel logs

Network Indicators:

Unusual WiFi connection attempts
Malformed WiFi packets targeting iwlwifi

SIEM Query:

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

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-26694

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-415

Published: April 3, 2024

Last Updated: January 7, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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