CVE-2024-57258 – Integer overflow vulnerabilities in Das U-Boot'... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-57258?

CVE-2024-57258 has a CVSS score of 7.1 (HIGH). Integer overflow vulnerabilities in Das U-Boot's memory allocation functions allow attackers to cause heap corruption via specially crafted squashfs filesystems. This affects systems using U-Boot bootloader before version 2025.01-rc1, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution during boot process.

📋 TL;DR

Integer overflow vulnerabilities in Das U-Boot's memory allocation functions allow attackers to cause heap corruption via specially crafted squashfs filesystems. This affects systems using U-Boot bootloader before version 2025.01-rc1, potentially leading to arbitrary code execution during boot process.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Das U-Boot (Universal Boot Loader)

Versions: All versions before 2025.01-rc1

Operating Systems: Any OS booted via U-Boot (Linux, BSD, etc.)

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using squashfs filesystem support in U-Boot. x86_64 systems are specifically mentioned but other architectures may be affected.

📦 What is this software?

U Boot by Denx

View all CVEs affecting U Boot →

⚠️ Risk & Real-World Impact

🔴

Worst Case

Complete system compromise via arbitrary code execution during boot, allowing persistent malware installation or bricking of device.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, crashes during boot process, or denial of service preventing normal system startup.

🟢

If Mitigated

Limited impact if system has secure boot enabled and proper memory protections, though boot failures may still occur.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or ability to modify boot media/filesystem.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Malicious insiders or compromised internal systems could exploit if they can modify boot files.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: MEDIUM

Requires ability to craft malicious squashfs filesystem and place it where U-Boot can access it during boot.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: 2025.01-rc1 and later

Vendor Advisory: https://lists.denx.de/pipermail/u-boot/2025-February/556000.html

Restart Required: No

Instructions:

1. Update U-Boot source to 2025.01-rc1 or later. 2. Rebuild U-Boot with updated source. 3. Flash new U-Boot binary to device. 4. Verify boot process completes successfully.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable squashfs support

all

Remove squashfs filesystem support from U-Boot configuration to prevent exploitation vector.

make menuconfig
Navigate to Filesystem support -> SquashFS support and disable
make

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Disable automatic loading of squashfs filesystems during boot
Implement secure boot with verified boot media only

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check U-Boot version: 'version' command at U-Boot prompt or examine binary headers. If version is before 2025.01-rc1 and squashfs support is enabled, system is vulnerable.

Check Version:

At U-Boot prompt: 'version' or 'bdinfo'

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify U-Boot version is 2025.01-rc1 or later and test booting with a squashfs filesystem to ensure no crashes.

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

U-Boot boot failures when loading squashfs
Kernel panic during early boot
Memory allocation errors in boot logs

Network Indicators:

None - local exploitation only

SIEM Query:

Search for: 'U-Boot crash', 'boot failure', 'squashfs error' in system logs during boot sequence

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-57258

CVSS v3 Score: 7.1 (HIGH)

CVSS Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:P/AC:H/PR:N/UI:N/S:C/C:H/I:H/A:H

CWE: CWE-190

EPSS Score: 0.04% exploit probability (13th percentile)

Published: February 18, 2025

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

https://source.denx.de/u-boot/u-boot/-/commit/0a10b49206a29b4aa2f80233a3e53ca0466bb0b3 Patch
https://source.denx.de/u-boot/u-boot/-/commit/8642b2178d2c4002c99a0b69a845a48f2ae2706f Patch
https://source.denx.de/u-boot/u-boot/-/commit/c17b2a05dd50a3ba437e6373093a0d6a359cdee0 Patch
https://www.openwall.com/lists/oss-security/2025/02/17/2 Mailing List,Mitigation,Third Party Advisory
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/05/msg00001.html

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