CVE-2024-45003 – A race condition in the Linux kernel's inode ca... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-45003?

CVE-2024-45003 has a CVSS score of 4.7 (MEDIUM). A race condition in the Linux kernel's inode cache management can cause deadlocks when filesystems with extended attribute features (like ext4 with ea_inode or UBIFS) attempt to look up inodes during eviction. This affects Linux systems using these filesystem features and can lead to system hangs or performance degradation.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition in the Linux kernel's inode cache management can cause deadlocks when filesystems with extended attribute features (like ext4 with ea_inode or UBIFS) attempt to look up inodes during eviction. This affects Linux systems using these filesystem features and can lead to system hangs or performance degradation.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not specified in CVE, but fix commits target stable kernel branches.

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires filesystems with extended attribute inode features (ext4 with ea_inode or UBIFS with xattr).

📦 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 →

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

System deadlock requiring hard reboot, causing denial of service and potential data corruption.

🟠

Likely Case

Temporary system hangs or performance degradation during heavy filesystem operations.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minor performance impact during inode cache management operations.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local filesystem access and specific conditions.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or processes can trigger deadlocks affecting system stability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH - Requires specific race conditions and filesystem operations.

Exploitation requires local access and specific timing conditions during inode cache management.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 03880af02a78bc9a98b5a581f529cf709c88a9b8 and related fixes

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/03880af02a78bc9a98b5a581f529cf709c88a9b8

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

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

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable extended attribute inode features

linux

Disable ea_inode feature on ext4 filesystems to avoid the vulnerable code path.

tune2fs -O ^ea_inode /dev/device

Avoid aggressive cache dropping

linux

Prevent manual cache dropping operations that could trigger the race condition.

Avoid running: echo 2 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system for hangs during filesystem operations and restart affected services.
Implement strict access controls to limit who can perform filesystem operations that trigger extended attribute lookups.

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and verify if using ext4 with ea_inode or UBIFS with xattr features.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits or check with distribution vendor for patched kernel.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

System hangs, kernel panic messages, process stuck in D state in process lists

Network Indicators:

None - local filesystem issue

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic logs or processes stuck in uninterruptible sleep (D state) during filesystem operations.

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-45003

CVSS v3 Score: 4.7 (MEDIUM)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/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

📤 Share & Export

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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