CVE-2024-42642 – A buffer overflow vulnerability in Micron Cruci... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-42642?

CVE-2024-42642 has a CVSS score of 6.7 (MEDIUM). A buffer overflow vulnerability in Micron Crucial MX500 SSDs allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the drive controller by sending specially crafted ATA packets. This affects users of MX500 Series SSDs with vulnerable firmware. The vendor has released firmware updates to address this issue.

📋 TL;DR

A buffer overflow vulnerability in Micron Crucial MX500 SSDs allows attackers to execute arbitrary code on the drive controller by sending specially crafted ATA packets. This affects users of MX500 Series SSDs with vulnerable firmware. The vendor has released firmware updates to address this issue.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Micron Crucial MX500 Series Solid State Drives

Versions: Firmware versions prior to M3CR046 (specifically vulnerable in M3CR046)

Operating Systems: All operating systems that use affected SSDs

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Vulnerability is in the SSD firmware itself, not dependent on OS configuration

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete compromise of SSD controller allowing data corruption, firmware modification, or permanent drive bricking

🟠

Likely Case

Drive instability, data corruption, or denial of service requiring drive replacement

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if firmware is updated to patched version

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires direct access to storage interface, not typically internet-exposed

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Attackers with internal network access could exploit if they can send ATA commands to target drives

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ⚠️ Yes

Weaponized: LIKELY

Unauthenticated Exploit: ⚠️ Yes

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploit requires ability to send raw ATA commands to the drive, which typically requires administrative/root access or specialized hardware

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Firmware versions after December 2024 (post-M3CR046)

Vendor Advisory: https://www.crucial.com/support/ssd-support/mx500-support

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Visit Crucial MX500 support page. 2. Download latest firmware update tool. 3. Run update tool with administrative privileges. 4. Reboot system after update completes.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Restrict ATA command access

all

Limit which users/systems can send ATA commands to storage devices

Network segmentation

all

Isolate storage systems from untrusted networks

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Replace affected SSDs with updated models
Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized ATA command execution

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check SSD firmware version using Crucial Storage Executive tool or manufacturer utilities

Check Version:

Use manufacturer-specific tools (Crucial Storage Executive) or check in OS disk management utilities

Verify Fix Applied:

Confirm firmware version is newer than M3CR046 using vendor verification tools

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Unusual ATA command patterns
SSD firmware errors
Storage device resets

Network Indicators:

Unusual SATA/ATA traffic patterns if monitored

SIEM Query:

Storage device logs showing firmware errors or unexpected ATA commands

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-42642

CVSS v3 Score: 6.7 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-787

Published: September 4, 2024

Last Updated: February 5, 2026

🤖 AI-assisted analysis, reviewed for accuracy

🔗 References

http://microncrucial.com Broken Link
https://github.com/VL4DR/CVE-2024-42642/tree/main Exploit,Third Party Advisory
https://www.crucial.com/support/ssd-support/mx500-support

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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