CVE-2024-43852 – This CVE describes an off-by-one buffer overflo... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-43852?

CVE-2024-43852 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes an off-by-one buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's LTC2991 hardware monitoring driver. An attacker with local access could potentially read kernel memory beyond the allocated buffer, leading to information disclosure or system instability. This affects Linux systems using the ltc2991 driver.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes an off-by-one buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's LTC2991 hardware monitoring driver. An attacker with local access could potentially read kernel memory beyond the allocated buffer, leading to information disclosure or system instability. This affects Linux systems using the ltc2991 driver.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with ltc2991 hardware monitoring 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: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if ltc2991 driver is loaded and in use

📦 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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⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel memory disclosure leading to privilege escalation or system crash/DoS

🟠

Likely Case

Information disclosure of adjacent kernel memory, potentially revealing sensitive data

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if driver not loaded or system properly patched

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

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local attackers could exploit this for information disclosure

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and specific conditions to trigger the vulnerable code path

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 99bf7c2eccff82760fa23ce967cc67c8c219c6a6 or c180311c0a520692e2d0e9ca44dcd6c2ff1b41c4

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/99bf7c2eccff82760fa23ce967cc67c8c219c6a6

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable ltc2991 driver

linux

Prevent loading of vulnerable driver module

echo 'blacklist ltc2991' > /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-ltc2991.conf
rmmod ltc2991

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local access to sensitive systems
Implement strict access controls and monitoring for kernel module loading

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if ltc2991 module is loaded: lsmod | grep ltc2991

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version against patched versions from your distribution

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oops messages
System crashes related to hwmon or ltc2991

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability only

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic or oops messages containing 'ltc2991' or 'hwmon'

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-43852

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-193

Published: August 17, 2024

Last Updated: August 20, 2024

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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