CVE-2024-44995 – A race condition in the Linux kernel's HNS3 net... (How to Fix)

📋 TL;DR

A race condition in the Linux kernel's HNS3 network driver can cause a deadlock when configuring traffic control (TC) during a reset process. This vulnerability affects systems using Huawei HNS3 network hardware with vulnerable kernel versions, potentially causing network service disruption.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with HNS3 driver

Versions: Kernel versions containing vulnerable HNS3 driver code (specific versions not specified in CVE)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with Huawei HNS3 network hardware; vulnerability triggers when configuring TC during reset operations

📦 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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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 →

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

Complete network interface deadlock requiring system reboot to restore connectivity

🟠

Likely Case

Network interface becomes unresponsive, causing service disruption until manual intervention

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact during TC configuration operations

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This is a local kernel driver issue not directly exploitable from network

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Can cause service disruption but requires local access or privileged operations

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires privileged access to trigger TC configuration during reset; race condition makes timing difficult

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 195918217448a6bb7f929d6a2ffffce9f1ece1cc or later

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/195918217448a6bb7f929d6a2ffffce9f1ece1cc

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version
2. Reboot system to load new kernel
3. Verify HNS3 driver is updated

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Avoid TC configuration during resets

linux

Prevent triggering the race condition by avoiding traffic control configuration operations during network interface resets

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor for network interface resets and avoid TC configuration during those periods
Implement network redundancy to minimize impact if HNS3 interface becomes unresponsive

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and verify if HNS3 driver is loaded: lsmod | grep hns3 && uname -r

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel includes fix commit: git log --oneline | grep -i '195918217448a6bb7f929d6a2ffffce9f1ece1cc'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel logs showing HNS3 driver errors
Network interface resets followed by TC configuration attempts

Network Indicators:

Sudden loss of network connectivity on HNS3 interfaces
Increased network errors on affected interfaces

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("hns3" OR "TC") AND ("deadlock" OR "reset" OR "napi")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-44995

CVSS v3 Score: 5.5 (MEDIUM)

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

CWE: CWE-667

Published: September 4, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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