CVE-2024-42242
📋 TL;DR
This Linux kernel vulnerability in the SDHCI driver incorrectly sets maximum segment size for memory pages, causing a kernel warning and potential system instability. It affects systems with 64KiB PAGE_SIZE configurations using the SDHCI driver. The vulnerability could lead to denial of service or system crashes under specific conditions.
💻 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 →⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact
Worst Case
System crash or kernel panic leading to denial of service, potentially requiring physical intervention to restart affected systems.
Likely Case
Kernel warning messages and potential system instability when using SDHCI devices with 64KiB page sizes, possibly causing application failures.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact or warning messages without system disruption if proper validation catches the issue.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires specific hardware configuration and kernel access. More likely to be triggered accidentally than maliciously.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 63d20a94f24fc1cbaf44d0e7c0e0a8077fde0aef and bf78b1accef46efd9b624967cb74ae8d3c215a2b
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/63d20a94f24fc1cbaf44d0e7c0e0a8077fde0aef
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify SDHCI driver is functioning correctly.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable SDHCI driver
linuxTemporarily disable the affected SDHCI driver if not required
echo 'blacklist sdhci' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod sdhci
Use 4KiB page size
linuxConfigure system to use standard 4KiB page size instead of 64KiB
Edit kernel boot parameters to set page size
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system logs for kernel warnings related to SDHCI or max_segment_size
- Avoid using SDHCI-based storage devices on affected systems
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and verify if SDHCI driver is loaded: lsmod | grep sdhci && uname -rCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check if kernel includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '63d20a94f24f|bf78b1accef4'📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel warnings about max_segment_size
- SDHCI driver error messages
- System crash logs
Network Indicators:
- None - local driver issue
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("max_segment_size" OR "sdhci" OR "WARN_ON_ONCE")