CVE-2024-51729
📋 TL;DR
A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's hugetlb_wp() function occurs when copy_user_gigantic_page() receives an unaligned address, potentially leading to kernel memory corruption or information disclosure. This affects Linux systems using huge pages with specific kernel versions. Attackers with local access could exploit this to crash the system or potentially escalate privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux Kernel
📦 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
Local privilege escalation leading to full system compromise, kernel panic causing denial of service, or sensitive kernel memory disclosure.
Likely Case
Kernel panic resulting in system crash/reboot, or memory corruption causing unpredictable system behavior.
If Mitigated
Minimal impact if proper access controls prevent local attackers from triggering the vulnerable code path.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires local access and ability to trigger huge page write operations. Exploit would need to craft specific memory operations.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Patches available in stable kernel trees (commits cb12d61361ce769672c7c7bd32107252598cdd8b and f5d09de9f1bf9674c6418ff10d0a40cfe29268e1)
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cb12d61361ce769672c7c7bd32107252598cdd8b
Restart Required: Yes
Instructions:
1. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution's repositories. 2. Rebuild kernel if using custom kernel. 3. Reboot system to load new kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable huge pages
allDisable hugetlb functionality to prevent exploitation of this vulnerability
echo 0 > /proc/sys/vm/nr_hugepages
sysctl -w vm.nr_hugepages=0
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict local user access to prevent untrusted users from running code on the system
- Implement strict SELinux/AppArmor policies to limit memory operations
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check kernel version and compare with patched versions from kernel.org stable treesCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Verify kernel version after update matches patched version, check that commit containing fix is present in kernel source📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel panic logs
- OOPs messages related to memory corruption
- System crash/reboot events
Network Indicators:
- None - local exploit only
SIEM Query:
Search for kernel panic events or system crashes in system logs