CVE-2024-26913 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 04/17/2024
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
drm/amd/display: Fix dcn35 8k30 Underflow/Corruption Issue
[why]
odm calculation is missing for pipe split policy determination and cause Underflow/Corruption issue.
[how]
Add the odm calculation.
Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.
Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2024
The vulnerability CVE-2024-26913 affects the Linux kernel's AMD display subsystem specifically within the dcn35 display controller implementation. This issue manifests as an underflow or corruption problem when handling 8k30 video resolutions, which represents a significant operational concern for high-resolution display systems. The vulnerability stems from a fundamental flaw in the pipe split policy determination mechanism that governs how video streams are distributed across display pipes in the graphics hardware. When the system attempts to process high-resolution video content at 8k30 frame rates, the absence of proper odm calculation leads to incorrect pipe splitting decisions that ultimately result in display corruption or underflow conditions.
The technical root cause of this vulnerability lies in the missing odm (output display multiplexer) calculation within the pipe split policy determination logic. The odm calculation is essential for properly determining how video data should be distributed across multiple display pipes to maintain synchronization and data integrity. Without this calculation, the system cannot accurately assess the bandwidth requirements and timing constraints necessary for handling high-resolution video streams. This deficiency particularly impacts the dcn35 display controller architecture which is designed to handle advanced display configurations but fails to properly account for the complex calculations required for 8k30 resolution processing. The vulnerability represents a classic case of insufficient input validation and calculation logic within hardware abstraction layers, where the missing mathematical computation leads to operational failure.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple display corruption to potentially affect mission-critical systems that rely on high-resolution video processing. Systems utilizing AMD graphics hardware with dcn35 controllers may experience complete display failures or intermittent corruption when processing 8k30 content, which could severely impact professional video editing, medical imaging, or scientific visualization applications. The underflow conditions can cause frames to be dropped or corrupted, leading to user experience degradation and potential data loss in applications where display integrity is paramount. This vulnerability particularly affects enterprise and professional-grade systems where high-resolution display capabilities are essential for proper operation, making it a significant concern for organizations relying on stable graphics processing.
The fix for CVE-2024-26913 involves implementing the missing odm calculation within the pipe split policy determination mechanism. This remediation addresses the core issue by ensuring that the system properly accounts for display multiplexer requirements when making decisions about pipe splitting for high-resolution content. The solution aligns with established security practices for hardware abstraction layer implementations and follows the principle of least privilege by ensuring proper resource allocation. Organizations should prioritize updating their Linux kernel implementations to include this fix, particularly those operating systems with AMD graphics hardware that support dcn35 display controllers. The mitigation strategy should include comprehensive testing of display functionality with 8k30 content to verify that the underflow and corruption issues have been resolved.
This vulnerability demonstrates the critical importance of proper mathematical calculations in hardware driver implementations and highlights the need for thorough testing of edge cases in display processing. The issue can be categorized under CWE-248 as an Uncaught Exception, where the missing calculation leads to unhandled operational conditions. From an attack surface perspective, this vulnerability could potentially be exploited by malicious actors to cause denial of service conditions in display-dependent applications, making it relevant to ATT&CK technique T1499.004 for network denial of service attacks. The fix represents a defensive programming approach that ensures proper resource management and calculation validation, which aligns with industry best practices for secure kernel development and display driver implementation standards.