X.org X11 Server XISendDeviceHierarchyEvent heap-based overflow

CVSS Meta Temp Score
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Current Exploit Price (≈)
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CTI Interest Score
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8.3$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability identified as critical has been detected in X.org X11 Server. Affected by this vulnerability is the function XISendDeviceHierarchyEvent. This manipulation causes heap-based overflow. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2024-21885. It is possible to initiate the attack remotely. There is no exploit available.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in X.org X11 Server (Windowing System Software) (affected version not known). It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function XISendDeviceHierarchyEvent. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a heap-based overflow vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-122. A heap overflow condition is a buffer overflow, where the buffer that can be overwritten is allocated in the heap portion of memory, generally meaning that the buffer was allocated using a routine such as malloc(). As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The summary by CVE is:

A flaw was found in X.Org server. In the XISendDeviceHierarchyEvent function, it is possible to exceed the allocated array length when certain new device IDs are added to the xXIHierarchyInfo struct. This can trigger a heap buffer overflow condition, which may lead to an application crash or remote code execution in SSH X11 forwarding environments.

The weakness was shared 01/18/2024. The advisory is shared at bugzilla.redhat.com. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2024-21885 since 01/02/2024. Technical details are known, but no exploit is available. The price for an exploit might be around USD $0-$5k at the moment (estimation calculated on 07/09/2025).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 208617 (CentOS 7 : tigervnc (RHSA-2024:0629)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

There is no information about possible countermeasures known. It may be suggested to replace the affected object with an alternative product.

The vulnerability is also documented in the databases at Tenable (208617) and EUVD (EUVD-2024-19496). Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 8.3
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 8.3

VulDB Base Score: 8.8
VulDB Temp Score: 8.8
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CNA Base Score: 7.8
CNA Vector: 🔍

CVSSv2info

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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Heap-based overflow
CWE: CWE-122 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Yes

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Nessus ID: 208617
Nessus Name: CentOS 7 : tigervnc (RHSA-2024:0629)

Threat Intelligenceinfo

Interest: 🔍
Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: no mitigation known
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Timelineinfo

01/02/2024 🔍
01/18/2024 +16 days 🔍
01/18/2024 +0 days 🔍
07/09/2025 +538 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: x.org

Advisory: bugzilla.redhat.com
Status: Not defined

CVE: CVE-2024-21885 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2024-21885
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-251449
EUVD: 🔍

Entryinfo

Created: 01/18/2024 07:18
Updated: 07/09/2025 13:09
Changes: 01/18/2024 07:18 (37), 08/02/2024 17:54 (27), 10/13/2024 08:50 (3), 07/09/2025 13:09 (1)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Several companies clearly confirm that VulDB is the primary source for best vulnerability data.

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