CVE-2024-41005 – A race condition vulnerability exists in the Li... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-41005?

CVE-2024-41005 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (MEDIUM). A race condition vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's netpoll subsystem where non-atomic access to the napi->poll_owner field can cause data corruption. This affects Linux systems using netpoll functionality, potentially leading to kernel instability or denial of service. The vulnerability was detected by KCSAN and requires specific conditions to trigger.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's netpoll subsystem where non-atomic access to the napi->poll_owner field can cause data corruption. This affects Linux systems using netpoll functionality, potentially leading to kernel instability or denial of service. The vulnerability was detected by KCSAN and requires specific conditions to trigger.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE, but patches available for multiple stable branches

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only affects systems with netpoll functionality enabled/used (typically network debugging or specialized configurations)

📦 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 or system crash leading to complete denial of service

🟠

Likely Case

Network subsystem instability, packet loss, or temporary service disruption

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact with proper locking mechanisms

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires specific netpoll configuration and race condition timing

🏢 Internal Only: LOW - Same requirements as internet-facing, limited to systems with netpoll enabled

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH - Requires precise timing and specific netpoll configuration

Race condition requires concurrent access from interrupt context and task context

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel versions with commits: 3f1a155950a1, 43c0ca793a18, 96826b16ef9c, a130e7da73ae, c2e6a872bde9

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f1a155950a1685ffd0fd7175b3f671da8771f3d

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repository. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version matches patched release.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable netpoll if not needed

linux

Netpoll is typically used for network debugging; disable if not required

Check if netpoll is enabled: grep -r netpoll /proc/sys/
Disable via kernel parameters if possible

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system logs for KCSAN warnings or kernel oops messages
Isolate affected systems from critical network segments

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and compare with patched versions from kernel git repository

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes one of the fix commits: uname -r and check git log

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

KCSAN data-race warnings
Kernel oops messages
netpoll related errors in dmesg

Network Indicators:

Unexpected network subsystem failures
Increased packet loss in netpoll configurations

SIEM Query:

Search for 'KCSAN' or 'data-race' or 'netpoll' in kernel logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-41005

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: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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