CVE-2024-57949 – This CVE describes a race condition vulnerabili... (How to Fix)

Q: What is the severity of CVE-2024-57949?

CVE-2024-57949 has a CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's GIC-V3 interrupt controller where interrupts could be incorrectly enabled within a nested interrupt-disabled section. This could lead to system instability or crashes. It affects Linux systems using the GIC-V3 interrupt controller, primarily ARM-based systems.

📋 TL;DR

This CVE describes a race condition vulnerability in the Linux kernel's GIC-V3 interrupt controller where interrupts could be incorrectly enabled within a nested interrupt-disabled section. This could lead to system instability or crashes. It affects Linux systems using the GIC-V3 interrupt controller, primarily ARM-based systems.

💻 Affected Systems

Products:

Linux kernel

Versions: Kernel versions containing commit b97e8a2f7130 up to fixed versions

Operating Systems: Linux distributions running on ARM architecture with GIC-V3

Default Config Vulnerable: ⚠️ Yes

Notes: Only affects systems using GIC-V3 interrupt controller (primarily ARM64/ARMv8 systems). Virtualized environments using KVM with ARM guests may be affected.

📦 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...

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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 →

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 or system crash leading to denial of service, potentially allowing privilege escalation if combined with other vulnerabilities.

🟠

Likely Case

System instability, random crashes, or kernel panics under specific interrupt handling conditions.

🟢

If Mitigated

Minimal impact with proper kernel hardening and isolation of affected systems.

🌐 Internet-Facing: LOW - Requires local access or ability to trigger specific interrupt conditions.

🏢 Internal Only: MEDIUM - Could affect server stability in virtualized environments or ARM-based infrastructure.

🎯 Exploit Status

Public PoC: ✅ No

Weaponized: UNKNOWN

Unauthenticated Exploit: ✅ No

Complexity: HIGH

Exploitation requires precise timing and ability to trigger specific interrupt handling paths. Likely requires local access or ability to run code on the system.

🛠️ Fix & Mitigation

✅ Official Fix

Patch Version: Fixed in stable kernel versions via commits: 35cb2c6ce7da, 6c84ff2e788f, 93955a778812, d7b0e89610dd

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

Restart Required: Yes

Instructions:

1. Update Linux kernel to patched version from your distribution's repositories. 2. For custom kernels, apply the fix commit to your kernel source. 3. Recompile and install the kernel. 4. Reboot the system.

🔧 Temporary Workarounds

Disable GIC-V3 ITS if not needed

linux

If system doesn't require GIC-V3 Interrupt Translation Service functionality, it could be disabled via kernel parameters

Add 'its=off' to kernel boot parameters in GRUB or bootloader configuration

🧯 If You Can't Patch

Isolate affected systems from production workloads
Implement strict access controls to prevent unauthorized local access

🔍 How to Verify

Check if Vulnerable:

Check kernel version and if running on ARM with GIC-V3. Examine kernel source for the problematic guard(raw_spinlock_irq) usage in its_irq_set_vcpu_affinity()

Check Version:

uname -r

Verify Fix Applied:

Verify kernel version is updated to include the fix commits. Check that guard(raw_spinlock) is used instead of guard(raw_spinlock_irq) in the affected function

📡 Detection & Monitoring

Log Indicators:

Kernel panic messages
Interrupt-related warnings in dmesg
System crash reports

Network Indicators:

None - this is a local kernel vulnerability

SIEM Query:

source="kernel" AND ("panic" OR "WARNING" OR "BUG") AND ("interrupt" OR "gic" OR "its")

📊 Metadata

CVE ID: CVE-2024-57949

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-667

EPSS Score: 0.01% exploit probability (0.8th percentile)

Published: February 9, 2025

Last Updated: November 3, 2025

🔗 References

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