CVE-2024-44953
📋 TL;DR
A deadlock vulnerability in the Linux kernel's UFS (Universal Flash Storage) driver can cause system hangs when runtime power management operations conflict with RTC (Real-Time Clock) update work. This affects systems using UFS storage with kernel versions containing the bug, potentially leading to denial of service.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with UFS driver support
📦 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
Complete system hang requiring hard reboot, causing extended downtime and potential data loss/corruption.
Likely Case
System becomes unresponsive during power state transitions, requiring manual intervention to recover.
If Mitigated
Minor performance impact during storage operations with proper kernel patching.
🎯 Exploit Status
Exploitation requires triggering specific timing conditions during power management operations; more of a reliability bug than security vulnerability.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 3911af778f208e5f49d43ce739332b91e26bc48e, a4921b76bc9421d3838e167f6a17ea3112d8fe62, f13f1858a28c68b7fc0d72c2008d5c1f80d2e8d5
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3911af778f208e5f49d43ce739332b91e26bc48e
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version matches patched release.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable UFS runtime power management
linuxPrevents the deadlock by disabling the conflicting power management features
echo 'on' > /sys/bus/platform/devices/*.ufs/control/pm_qos_no_power_off
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Monitor system logs for deadlock indicators and have reboot procedures ready
- Consider disabling UFS storage if not critical for system operation
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and if UFS storage is present: 'uname -r' and 'lsblk -d -o NAME,TRAN'Check Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version includes fix commits and test system stability during power state transitions📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic messages
- System hang with UFS-related stack traces
- Watchdog timeouts
Network Indicators:
- None - local issue only
SIEM Query:
kernel: "deadlock" AND "ufs" OR "UFS: deadlock detected"