CVE-2024-49894 – This CVE-2024-49894 is a buffer overflow vulner... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-49894?

CVE-2024-49894 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE-2024-49894 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the AMD display driver component of the Linux kernel. It allows an attacker with local access to cause a kernel panic or potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. All Linux systems using affected AMD GPU drivers are vulnerable.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE-2024-49894 is a buffer overflow vulnerability in the AMD display driver component of the Linux kernel. It allows an attacker with local access to cause a kernel panic or potentially execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. All Linux systems using affected AMD GPU drivers are vulnerable.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with AMD GPU display drivers

Versions: Linux kernel versions containing the vulnerable code before the fix commits

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Requires AMD GPU hardware and the amdgpu/display driver module loaded. Systems without AMD GPUs or with the module disabled are not affected.

📦 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

Local privilege escalation to kernel mode, allowing complete system compromise and potential persistence.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic leading to denial of service (system crash) when triggered by a local user.

🟢

If Mitigated

System crash requiring physical or remote console access to reboot.

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

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or compromised accounts could exploit this for privilege escalation or DoS.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and knowledge of triggering the vulnerable display driver function. No public exploits known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Linux kernel with commits 07078fa5d589a7fbce8f81ea8acf7aa0021ab38e or other listed fixes

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07078fa5d589a7fbce8f81ea8acf7aa0021ab38e

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Reboot system to load patched kernel. 3. Verify amdgpu module loads correctly.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable AMD GPU driver module

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable amdgpu display driver module

echo 'blacklist amdgpu' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-amdgpu.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to systems with AMD GPUs
Implement strict privilege separation and monitor for kernel panic events

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if amdgpu module is loaded: lsmod | grep amdgpu. If loaded and kernel version is before fix commits, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes fix commits: git log --oneline | grep -E '07078fa5d589|122e3a7a8c7b|2495c8e272d8|2f5da549535b|b3dfa878257a'

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
AMDGPU driver crash logs

Network Indicators:

None - local exploit only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "BUG") AND "amdgpu"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-49894

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-129

Published: October 21, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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