CVE-2024-25740 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 02/12/2024
A memory leak flaw was found in the UBI driver in drivers/mtd/ubi/attach.c in the Linux kernel through 6.7.4 for UBI_IOCATT, because kobj->name is not released.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 08/11/2025
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-25740 represents a critical memory management flaw within the Universal Boot Interface driver of the Linux kernel. This issue specifically affects versions through 6.7.4 and resides in the drivers/mtd/ubi/attach.c source file. The UBI driver serves as a crucial component for managing Unsorted Block Images, which are essential for flash memory storage systems commonly found in embedded devices and mobile platforms. The flaw manifests during the UBI_IOCATT ioctl operation, which is used to attach UBI volumes to the system, making this vulnerability particularly concerning for systems that frequently manage storage attachments.
The technical root cause of this memory leak stems from improper resource management within the kernel's UBI subsystem. When the UBI_IOCATT ioctl operation is executed, the kernel allocates memory for a kobj structure that contains a name field. However, the code fails to properly release the kobj->name memory segment after the operation completes. This oversight creates a persistent memory allocation that cannot be reclaimed by the system's memory manager, leading to gradual memory exhaustion over time. The flaw constitutes a classic memory leak pattern where allocated resources are not properly deallocated, causing the system to consume increasingly more memory with each invocation of the affected operation.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory consumption issues, potentially affecting system stability and performance across various Linux-based platforms. Systems that frequently utilize UBI operations for storage management, including embedded devices, routers, network appliances, and mobile platforms, face increased risk of memory exhaustion attacks. The memory leak could accumulate over time, eventually leading to system slowdowns, application failures, or complete system crashes. Given that UBI is commonly used in industrial control systems, IoT devices, and network infrastructure equipment, this vulnerability poses significant risks to operational continuity and system reliability. The cumulative nature of the leak means that even brief periods of system uptime could result in substantial memory consumption, making it particularly dangerous in environments where systems operate continuously without regular restarts.
Mitigation strategies for CVE-2024-25740 should prioritize immediate kernel updates to versions that contain the necessary patches addressing the memory leak issue. System administrators should implement comprehensive monitoring of memory usage patterns to detect potential exploitation attempts or memory exhaustion symptoms. The vulnerability aligns with CWE-401, which specifically addresses improper release of memory, and represents a clear violation of proper resource management practices in kernel code. From an attack perspective, this flaw could be exploited by malicious actors to perform denial-of-service attacks against systems running vulnerable kernel versions, potentially causing cascading failures in network infrastructure or embedded systems. Organizations should also consider implementing memory monitoring tools and establishing automated alerting mechanisms to detect unusual memory consumption patterns that could indicate exploitation attempts. The fix typically involves ensuring proper cleanup of allocated memory structures, specifically ensuring that kobj->name is properly freed during the ioctl operation's completion phase, thereby preventing the accumulation of unreclaimed memory resources.