Linux Kernel up to 6.6.35/6.9.6 ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists out-of-bounds

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4.0$0-$5k0.00

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as problematic has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.35/6.9.6. This affects the function ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists. The manipulation leads to out-of-bounds. This vulnerability is referenced as CVE-2024-40955. No exploit is available. It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as problematic, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.35/6.9.6. This issue affects the function ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a out-of-bounds vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-125. The product reads data past the end, or before the beginning, of the intended buffer. Impacted is confidentiality. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix slab-out-of-bounds in ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists() We can trigger a slab-out-of-bounds with the following commands: mkfs.ext4 -F /dev/$disk 10G mount /dev/$disk /tmp/test echo 2147483647 > /sys/fs/ext4/$disk/mb_group_prealloc echo test > /tmp/test/file && sync ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists+0x8a/0x200 [ext4] Read of size 8 at addr ffff888121b9d0f0 by task kworker/u2:0/11 CPU: 0 PID: 11 Comm: kworker/u2:0 Tainted: GL 6.7.0-next-20240118 #521 Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0x2c/0x50 kasan_report+0xb6/0xf0 ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists+0x8a/0x200 [ext4] ext4_mb_regular_allocator+0x19e9/0x2370 [ext4] ext4_mb_new_blocks+0x88a/0x1370 [ext4] ext4_ext_map_blocks+0x14f7/0x2390 [ext4] ext4_map_blocks+0x569/0xea0 [ext4] ext4_do_writepages+0x10f6/0x1bc0 [ext4] [...] ================================================================== The flow of issue triggering is as follows: // Set s_mb_group_prealloc to 2147483647 via sysfs ext4_mb_new_blocks ext4_mb_normalize_request ext4_mb_normalize_group_request ac->ac_g_ex.fe_len = EXT4_SB(sb)->s_mb_group_prealloc ext4_mb_regular_allocator ext4_mb_choose_next_group ext4_mb_choose_next_group_best_avail mb_avg_fragment_size_order order = fls(len) - 2 = 29 ext4_mb_find_good_group_avg_frag_lists frag_list = &sbi->s_mb_avg_fragment_size[order] if (list_empty(frag_list)) // Trigger SOOB! At 4k block size, the length of the s_mb_avg_fragment_size list is 14, but an oversized s_mb_group_prealloc is set, causing slab-out-of-bounds to be triggered by an attempt to access an element at index 29. Add a new attr_id attr_clusters_in_group with values in the range [0, sbi->s_clusters_per_group] and declare mb_group_prealloc as that type to fix the issue. In addition avoid returning an order from mb_avg_fragment_size_order() greater than MB_NUM_ORDERS(sb) and reduce some useless loops.

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. The identification of this vulnerability is CVE-2024-40955 since 07/12/2024. The exploitation is known to be difficult. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 246673 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2024-40955), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 6.6.36 or 6.9.7 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 677ff4589f15/b829687ae122/13df4d44a3aa is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.

The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (246673). Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

Productinfo

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CPE 2.3info

CPE 2.2info

CVSSv4info

VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

CVSSv3info

VulDB Meta Base Score: 4.0
VulDB Meta Temp Score: 4.0

VulDB Base Score: 2.6
VulDB Temp Score: 2.5
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

NVD Base Score: 5.5
NVD Vector: 🔍

CVSSv2info

AVACAuCIA
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VectorComplexityAuthenticationConfidentialityIntegrityAvailability
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VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍

Exploitinginfo

Class: Out-of-bounds
CWE: CWE-125 / CWE-119
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍

Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially

Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined

EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍

Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍

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Nessus ID: 246673
Nessus Name: Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2024-40955

Threat Intelligenceinfo

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

Countermeasuresinfo

Recommended: Upgrade
Status: 🔍

0-Day Time: 🔍

Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.36/6.9.7
Patch: 677ff4589f15/b829687ae122/13df4d44a3aa

Timelineinfo

07/12/2024 🔍
07/12/2024 +0 days 🔍
07/12/2024 +0 days 🔍
08/09/2025 +393 days 🔍

Sourcesinfo

Vendor: kernel.org

Advisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed

CVE: CVE-2024-40955 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2024-40955
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-271235

Entryinfo

Created: 07/12/2024 16:32
Updated: 08/09/2025 17:16
Changes: 07/12/2024 16:32 (58), 08/29/2024 04:23 (13), 08/09/2025 17:16 (2)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103

Statistical analysis made it clear that VulDB provides the best quality for vulnerability data.

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