CVE-2024-53173 – This CVE describes a use-after-free vulnerabili... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-53173?

CVE-2024-53173 has a CVSS score of 7.8 (HIGH). This CVE describes a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NFSv4.0 client implementation during asynchronous file open operations. When two threads simultaneously open files and both abort before receiving server replies, improper sequence ID handling can lead to memory corruption. This affects Linux systems using NFSv4.0 for file sharing.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's NFSv4.0 client implementation during asynchronous file open operations. When two threads simultaneously open files and both abort before receiving server replies, improper sequence ID handling can lead to memory corruption. This affects Linux systems using NFSv4.0 for file sharing.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Specific affected versions not explicitly stated in CVE; likely affects multiple stable kernel versions before fixes were applied.

Operating Systems: Linux distributions using affected kernel versions

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using NFSv4.0 client functionality; NFSv3 or NFSv4.1/4.2 are not affected. Requires concurrent file open operations from multiple threads.

📦 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 →

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 panic leading to system crash, potential privilege escalation to kernel-level code execution, or denial of service affecting all NFS-mounted filesystems.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, kernel crashes, or denial of service affecting NFS operations, potentially requiring system reboot.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited to NFS client operations; systems not using NFSv4.0 or with proper access controls have minimal risk.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - NFS is typically used internally; exposing NFS directly to internet is uncommon and poor practice.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Affects internal systems using NFSv4.0; requires concurrent file operations from multiple threads.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH - Requires specific timing conditions with concurrent NFS operations and thread aborts.

Exploitation requires local access to trigger the race condition; no remote exploitation vectors identified.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Multiple stable kernel commits referenced; check specific distribution kernel versions.

Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1cfae9575296f5040cdc84b0730e79078c081d2d

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution. 2. For RHEL/CentOS: 'yum update kernel'. 3. For Ubuntu/Debian: 'apt update && apt upgrade linux-image-*'. 4. Reboot system to load new kernel.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable NFSv4.0

linux

Use NFSv3 or NFSv4.1/4.2 instead of NFSv4.0 to avoid vulnerable code path.

In /etc/nfsmount.conf or mount options, use 'vers=3' or 'vers=4.1' instead of 'vers=4.0'

Limit concurrent NFS operations

linux

Reduce likelihood of race condition by limiting simultaneous file operations.

Set NFS mount options: 'rsize=8192,wsize=8192' to reduce concurrent operations

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable NFSv4.0 client usage entirely
Implement strict access controls to limit which users can perform NFS operations

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and NFS configuration: 'uname -r' and 'cat /proc/mounts | grep nfs'

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated and check for NFSv4.0 usage: 'uname -r' should show patched version, 'nfsstat -m' should show NFS version

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages in /var/log/messages or dmesg
NFS client errors or timeouts in system logs
Unexpected process crashes related to NFS operations

Network Indicators:

Increased NFS protocol errors
Unusual NFS request patterns with concurrent operations

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "Oops") AND "nfs" OR source="nfs" AND ("error" OR "timeout")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-53173

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-416

Published: December 27, 2024

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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