CVE-2024-47739 – A race condition in the Linux kernel's padata s... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-47739?

CVE-2024-47739 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A race condition in the Linux kernel's padata subsystem can cause a deadlock when more than 4.29 billion padata objects are submitted. This affects systems using parallel data processing capabilities in the Linux kernel, potentially causing denial of service. The vulnerability requires specific kernel configurations with padata enabled.

📋 TL;DR

A race condition in the Linux kernel's padata subsystem can cause a deadlock when more than 4.29 billion padata objects are submitted. This affects systems using parallel data processing capabilities in the Linux kernel, potentially causing denial of service. The vulnerability requires specific kernel configurations with padata enabled.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Versions before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if CONFIG_PADATA is enabled and padata functionality is actively used. Many distributions don't enable this by default.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system deadlock requiring hard reboot, causing extended downtime and potential data loss in critical systems.

🟠

Likely Case

Local denial of service affecting parallel processing workloads, potentially impacting performance-sensitive applications.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact if padata is not used or systems don't process billions of parallel objects.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or ability to trigger specific kernel functionality.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could be exploited by malicious insiders or through compromised local accounts to cause system instability.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires local access and ability to trigger padata operations with >2^32 objects, making it difficult to exploit in practice.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits: 1b8cf11b3ca593a8802a51802cd0c28c38501428, 1bd712de96ad7167fe0d608e706cd60587579f16, 46c4079460f4dcaf445860679558eedef4e1bc91, 72164d5b648951684b1a593996b37a6083c61d7d, 9a22b2812393d93d84358a760c347c21939029a6

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

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Check your kernel version. 2. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution's repositories. 3. Reboot the system to load the new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable padata module

linux

Remove or blacklist the padata kernel module if not needed

echo 'blacklist padata' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod padata

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Monitor system for padata usage and restrict access to users who could trigger the condition
Implement resource limits to prevent submission of excessive parallel processing jobs

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if padata module is loaded: 'uname -r' and 'lsmod | grep padata'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and check for presence of fix commits in kernel source

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
System hang/freeze events
High CPU usage in kernel space

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel issue

SIEM Query:

EventID: kernel panic OR system hang OR 'deadlock' in system logs

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-47739

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-190

Published: October 21, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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