CVE-2024-53106

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-53106?

CVE-2024-53106 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). A buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IMA (Integrity Measurement Architecture) subsystem allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. The vulnerability occurs when accessing an array with an out-of-bounds index, affecting systems with IMA enabled. This affects Linux kernel users who rely on IMA for security measurements.

7.8 HIGH

Buffer Overflow

📋 TL;DR

A buffer overflow vulnerability in the Linux kernel's IMA (Integrity Measurement Architecture) subsystem allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service. The vulnerability occurs when accessing an array with an out-of-bounds index, affecting systems with IMA enabled. This affects Linux kernel users who rely on IMA for security measurements.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE; check kernel commits for exact ranges.

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using vulnerable kernel versions with IMA enabled

Default Config Vulnerable: ✅ No

Notes: Only vulnerable if IMA subsystem is enabled and configured; many distributions disable IMA 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 →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Local privilege escalation to root, kernel memory corruption leading to system crash, or arbitrary code execution in kernel context.

🟠

Likely Case

Kernel panic causing system crash and denial of service, potentially requiring physical or remote console access to recover.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if IMA is disabled or if exploit attempts are blocked by other kernel security features like KASLR or SMAP.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access to exploit; not directly exploitable over network.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Local users or compromised accounts could exploit this to escalate privileges or crash systems.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Exploitation requires local access and knowledge of IMA functionality; no public exploits known at this time.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Kernel versions with commits 1ecf0df5205cfb0907eb7984b8671257965a5232, 8a84765c62cc0469864e2faee43aae253ad16082, 923168a0631bc42fffd55087b337b1b6c54dcff5, or e01aae58e818503f2ffcd34c6f7dc6f90af1057e

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution vendor. 2. Reboot system to load new kernel. 3. Verify kernel version after reboot.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable IMA subsystem

all

Disable the IMA subsystem if not required, preventing the vulnerable code path from being executed.

Add 'ima=off' to kernel boot parameters in GRUB configuration

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Restrict local user access to systems with IMA enabled
Implement strict monitoring for kernel panic events and unauthorized local access attempts

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check if IMA is enabled: cat /proc/cmdline | grep -q ima= && echo 'IMA enabled, check kernel version'. Check kernel version against patched commits.

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version includes one of the fix commits: uname -r and check with distribution vendor. Confirm IMA functionality still works if needed.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages in /var/log/kern.log or dmesg
Unexpected system crashes or reboots

Network Indicators:

None - local exploit only

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops" OR "general protection fault") AND process="ima"

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-53106

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-787

Published: December 2, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

📋 TL;DR

💻 Affected Systems

📦 What is this software?

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

Linux Kernel by Linux

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

Worst Case

Likely Case

If Mitigated

🎯 Exploit Status

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Instructions:

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable IMA subsystem

🧯 If You Can't Patch

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check Version:

Verify Fix Applied:

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Network Indicators:

SIEM Query:

📊 Metadata

🔗 References

📤 Share & Export

🔗 Related Vulnerabilities