CVE-2024-50248 – This CVE addresses a memory bounds checking vul... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-50248?

CVE-2024-50248 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE addresses a memory bounds checking vulnerability in the NTFS3 filesystem driver in the Linux kernel. An attacker could potentially exploit this to cause a kernel crash (denial of service) or possibly execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Systems using the NTFS3 driver with untrusted NTFS filesystems are affected.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE addresses a memory bounds checking vulnerability in the NTFS3 filesystem driver in the Linux kernel. An attacker could potentially exploit this to cause a kernel crash (denial of service) or possibly execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges. Systems using the NTFS3 driver with untrusted NTFS filesystems are affected.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel with NTFS3 filesystem driver

Versions: Linux kernel versions with NTFS3 driver before the fix commits (specific versions vary by distribution)

Operating Systems: Linux distributions with NTFS3 driver enabled

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: NTFS3 driver may not be enabled by default in all distributions. Requires CONFIG_NTFS3_FS kernel configuration option.

📦 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Kernel memory corruption leading to arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges, potentially resulting in full system compromise.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic or system crash (denial of service) when accessing a maliciously crafted NTFS filesystem.

🟢

If Mitigated

No impact if NTFS3 driver is not loaded or if untrusted NTFS filesystems are not mounted.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - This vulnerability requires local access or ability to mount malicious NTFS filesystems.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Internal users with ability to mount NTFS filesystems could cause denial of service.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires ability to mount a malicious NTFS filesystem. No public exploit code has been reported.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in kernel commits: 22cdf3be7d34f61a91b9e2966fec3a29f3871398, 386613a44b858304a88529ade2ccc1e079a5fc56, 556bdf27c2dd5c74a9caacbe524b943a6cd42d99, 809f9b419c75f8042c58434d2bfe849140643e9d

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to version containing the fix commits. 2. Check distribution-specific security advisories. 3. Reboot system to load patched kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable NTFS3 driver

linux

Prevent loading of the vulnerable NTFS3 filesystem driver

echo 'blacklist ntfs3' > /etc/modprobe.d/ntfs3-blacklist.conf
update-initramfs -u
reboot

Mount NTFS with alternative driver

linux

Use NTFS-3G userspace driver instead of kernel NTFS3 driver

apt-get install ntfs-3g
mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdX /mnt/ntfs

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict mounting of NTFS filesystems to trusted sources only
Implement strict access controls on devices that can be mounted

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if NTFS3 module is loaded: lsmod | grep ntfs3

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Check kernel version contains fix commits or verify with distribution security advisory

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
System crash/reboot logs
Filesystem mount errors

Network Indicators:

None - local vulnerability

SIEM Query:

Search for kernel panic events or unexpected system reboots

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-50248

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-119

Published: November 9, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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🔗 Related Vulnerabilities

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