CVE-2024-50013 – A memory leak vulnerability exists in the Linux... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-50013?

CVE-2024-50013 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). A memory leak vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's exFAT filesystem driver in the exfat_load_bitmap() function. When the first directory entry in the root directory is not a bitmap directory entry, a buffer head ('bh') is not properly released, causing a memory leak. This affects systems using the exFAT filesystem with vulnerable Linux kernel versions.

📋 TL;DR

A memory leak vulnerability exists in the Linux kernel's exFAT filesystem driver in the exfat_load_bitmap() function. When the first directory entry in the root directory is not a bitmap directory entry, a buffer head ('bh') is not properly released, causing a memory leak. This affects systems using the exFAT filesystem with vulnerable Linux kernel versions.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux Kernel

Versions: Specific vulnerable versions not explicitly stated in CVE; check kernel commit history for affected versions.

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems with exFAT filesystem support enabled and when mounting/accessing exFAT filesystems.

📦 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

Sustained exploitation could lead to kernel memory exhaustion, causing system instability, denial of service, or potential kernel crashes.

🟠

Likely Case

Gradual memory consumption over time leading to performance degradation and eventual system instability requiring reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper monitoring and memory limits; may cause occasional performance issues.

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

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal systems mounting exFAT filesystems could experience gradual memory issues.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: NO

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires local access and ability to trigger specific exFAT filesystem operations; not directly remote exploitable.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Check kernel commit hashes: 4e1813e52f86eb8db0c6c9570251f2fcbc571f5d, 89081e8407e637463db5880d168e3652fb9f4330, bf0b3b35259475d1fe377bcaa565488e26684f7a, d2b537b3e533f28e0d97293fe9293161fe8cd137, dca359db1eb37f334267ebd7e3cab9a66d191d5b

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4e1813e52f86eb8db0c6c9570251f2fcbc571f5d

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system after kernel update.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable exFAT filesystem support

linux

Remove exFAT kernel module to prevent vulnerability trigger

modprobe -r exfat
echo 'blacklist exfat' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

Avoid mounting exFAT filesystems

linux

Prevent mounting of exFAT formatted drives

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Implement memory monitoring and alerting for kernel memory usage
Restrict access to systems that mount exFAT filesystems

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

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

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and check if commit hashes are included in kernel source

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel oom-killer messages
System memory exhaustion warnings
Kernel panic logs related to memory

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("out of memory" OR "oom-killer" OR "kernel panic")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-50013

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-401

Published: October 21, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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