CVE-2024-39508 – This CVE addresses a data race condition in the... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

This CVE addresses a data race condition in the Linux kernel's io_uring subsystem where concurrent access to worker flags could cause undefined behavior. It affects Linux systems using io_uring for asynchronous I/O operations. The vulnerability could lead to system instability or crashes.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific versions between commits 18daea77cca6 and the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using io_uring 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...

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

System crash or kernel panic leading to denial of service

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, application crashes, or performance degradation

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact from atomic operations

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to trigger

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes could trigger instability

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Race conditions are difficult to reliably exploit; this is primarily a stability issue

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 1cbb0affb15470a9621267fe0a8568007553a4bf, 8a565304927fbd28c9f028c492b5c1714002cbab, ab702c3483db9046bab9f40306f1a28b22dbbdc0

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cbb0affb15470a9621267fe0a8568007553a4bf

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version
2. Reboot system to load new kernel
3. Verify kernel version matches patched release

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable io_uring

linux

Remove or disable io_uring functionality if not required

echo 'blacklist io_uring' > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-io_uring.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system logs for io_uring related crashes or instability
Limit use of applications that heavily utilize io_uring functionality

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and compare with affected commit range: uname -r and check git commit history

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel includes the fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '1cbb0affb154|8a565304927f|ab702c3483db'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panics
System crashes
KCSAN race detection warnings in dmesg

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("KCSAN" OR "data-race" OR "io_uring" crash)

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-39508

CVSS v3 Score: 4.7 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-362

Published: July 12, 2024

Last Updated: October 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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