CVE-2024-57997 in Linux
Summary
by MITRE • 02/27/2025
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
wifi: wcn36xx: fix channel survey memory allocation size
KASAN reported a memory allocation issue in wcn->chan_survey due to incorrect size calculation. This commit uses kcalloc to allocate memory for wcn->chan_survey, ensuring proper initialization and preventing the use of uninitialized values when there are no frames on the channel.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 05/24/2026
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2024-57997 affects the Linux kernel's wireless networking subsystem, specifically within the wcn36xx driver implementation. This driver manages Qualcomm's wcn36xx family of wireless chipsets commonly found in various embedded devices and laptops. The issue manifests as a memory allocation error that occurs during channel survey operations, which are fundamental to wireless network management and performance monitoring. When the wireless subsystem performs channel surveys to analyze network conditions and interference, it must allocate memory to store survey data collected from various channels.
The technical flaw stems from an incorrect calculation of memory allocation size for the wcn->chan_survey structure within the wcn36xx driver. This memory allocation issue was detected by the Kernel Address Sanitizer (KASAN) which is a dynamic memory error detector built into the Linux kernel. The root cause occurs when the driver attempts to allocate memory for channel survey data without properly accounting for the required memory footprint, leading to potential buffer overflows or under-allocation scenarios. The vulnerability specifically impacts the initialization and usage of the channel survey data structure when no wireless frames are present on the channel being surveyed.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple memory corruption, as it could potentially lead to system instability or denial of service conditions within wireless networking operations. When the memory allocation fails or is improperly sized, the wireless subsystem may encounter unpredictable behavior during channel survey operations, which are critical for maintaining network performance and connectivity. The improper memory handling could result in kernel crashes, data corruption, or exploitation opportunities that might allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to the system. This vulnerability affects systems running Linux kernels that include the wcn36xx driver, particularly those utilizing Qualcomm wireless chipsets in embedded devices, laptops, and other computing platforms.
The fix implemented in this security update addresses the issue by replacing the problematic memory allocation approach with kcalloc, which provides proper memory initialization and ensures that allocated memory is correctly sized for the channel survey data structure. This change aligns with the common security practice of using safe allocation functions that initialize memory to prevent the use of uninitialized values. The solution follows established security guidelines for memory management in kernel space, reducing the risk of memory corruption and improving overall system stability. This remediation directly addresses the CWE-122 vulnerability category related to heap-based buffer overflow conditions and supports the ATT&CK technique of privilege escalation through kernel exploitation by preventing memory corruption that could be leveraged by malicious actors. The fix ensures that channel survey operations maintain proper memory boundaries and prevent potential exploitation vectors that could arise from uninitialized memory access patterns during wireless network monitoring activities.