CVE-2024-57983
📋 TL;DR
A memory corruption vulnerability in the Linux kernel's TH1520 mailbox driver allows writing beyond allocated memory boundaries during suspend/resume operations. This affects Linux systems using the TH1520 mailbox hardware, potentially leading to system crashes or arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges.
💻 Affected Systems
- Linux kernel with TH1520 mailbox driver
📦 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
Kernel memory corruption leading to system crash, privilege escalation to root, or arbitrary code execution in kernel context, potentially compromising the entire system.
Likely Case
System instability, crashes during suspend/resume cycles, or denial of service affecting system availability.
If Mitigated
Limited impact if system doesn't use TH1520 mailbox hardware or has proper memory protection mechanisms enabled.
🎯 Exploit Status
Requires ability to trigger suspend/resume operations; exploitation depends on memory layout and corruption effects.
🛠️ Fix & Mitigation
✅ Official Fix
Patch Version: Kernel versions containing commits 2cd12c7fba59f30369e8647a2b726c7280903304 or db049866943a38bf46a34fa120d526663339d7a5
Vendor Advisory: https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2cd12c7fba59f30369e8647a2b726c7280903304
Restart Required: No
Instructions:
1. Update to a patched kernel version from your distribution vendor. 2. Apply the specific kernel patch if building custom kernel. 3. Reboot to load the updated kernel.
🔧 Temporary Workarounds
Disable TH1520 mailbox driver
allPrevent loading of the vulnerable driver module
echo 'blacklist th1520_mbox' >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
rmmod th1520_mbox
Disable suspend/resume functionality
systemdPrevent triggering of vulnerable code paths
systemctl mask suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target
🧯 If You Can't Patch
- Restrict suspend/resume privileges to trusted users only
- Implement kernel memory protection features like KASAN to detect corruption
🔍 How to Verify
Check if Vulnerable:
Check if TH1520 mailbox driver is loaded: lsmod | grep th1520_mboxCheck Version:
uname -rVerify Fix Applied:
Check kernel version includes fix commits: grep -r 'th1520_mbox' /sys/kernel/debug/kernel/commit_ids/📡 Detection & Monitoring
Log Indicators:
- Kernel oops messages
- System crash during suspend/resume
- Memory corruption warnings in dmesg
Network Indicators:
- None - local vulnerability only
SIEM Query:
source="kernel" AND ("th1520" OR "mailbox" OR "suspend" OR "resume") AND ("corruption" OR "panic" OR "oops")