Linux Kernel up to 6.12.1 ubifs_tnc_start_commit use after free

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability classified as critical was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.1. This impacts the function ubifs_tnc_start_commit. Executing a manipulation can lead to use after free. This vulnerability appears as CVE-2024-53171. There is no available exploit. Upgrading the affected component is advised.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.1 and classified as critical. This vulnerability affects the function ubifs_tnc_start_commit. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a use after free vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is CWE-416. Referencing memory after it has been freed can cause a program to crash, use unexpected values, or execute code. As an impact it is known to affect confidentiality, integrity, and availability. CVE summarizes:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ubifs: authentication: Fix use-after-free in ubifs_tnc_end_commit After an insertion in TNC, the tree might split and cause a node to change its `znode->parent`. A further deletion of other nodes in the tree (which also could free the nodes), the aforementioned node's `znode->cparent` could still point to a freed node. This `znode->cparent` may not be updated when getting nodes to commit in `ubifs_tnc_start_commit()`. This could then trigger a use-after-free when accessing the `znode->cparent` in `write_index()` in `ubifs_tnc_end_commit()`. This can be triggered by running rm -f /etc/test-file.bin dd if=/dev/urandom of=/etc/test-file.bin bs=1M count=60 conv=fsync in a loop, and with `CONFIG_UBIFS_FS_AUTHENTICATION`. KASAN then reports: BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ubifs_tnc_end_commit+0xa5c/0x1950 Write of size 32 at addr ffffff800a3af86c by task ubifs_bgt0_20/153 Call trace: dump_backtrace+0x0/0x340 show_stack+0x18/0x24 dump_stack_lvl+0x9c/0xbc print_address_description.constprop.0+0x74/0x2b0 kasan_report+0x1d8/0x1f0 kasan_check_range+0xf8/0x1a0 memcpy+0x84/0xf4 ubifs_tnc_end_commit+0xa5c/0x1950 do_commit+0x4e0/0x1340 ubifs_bg_thread+0x234/0x2e0 kthread+0x36c/0x410 ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20 Allocated by task 401: kasan_save_stack+0x38/0x70 __kasan_kmalloc+0x8c/0xd0 __kmalloc+0x34c/0x5bc tnc_insert+0x140/0x16a4 ubifs_tnc_add+0x370/0x52c ubifs_jnl_write_data+0x5d8/0x870 do_writepage+0x36c/0x510 ubifs_writepage+0x190/0x4dc __writepage+0x58/0x154 write_cache_pages+0x394/0x830 do_writepages+0x1f0/0x5b0 filemap_fdatawrite_wbc+0x170/0x25c file_write_and_wait_range+0x140/0x190 ubifs_fsync+0xe8/0x290 vfs_fsync_range+0xc0/0x1e4 do_fsync+0x40/0x90 __arm64_sys_fsync+0x34/0x50 invoke_syscall.constprop.0+0xa8/0x260 do_el0_svc+0xc8/0x1f0 el0_svc+0x34/0x70 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x108/0x114 el0t_64_sync+0x1a4/0x1a8 Freed by task 403: kasan_save_stack+0x38/0x70 kasan_set_track+0x28/0x40 kasan_set_free_info+0x28/0x4c __kasan_slab_free+0xd4/0x13c kfree+0xc4/0x3a0 tnc_delete+0x3f4/0xe40 ubifs_tnc_remove_range+0x368/0x73c ubifs_tnc_remove_ino+0x29c/0x2e0 ubifs_jnl_delete_inode+0x150/0x260 ubifs_evict_inode+0x1d4/0x2e4 evict+0x1c8/0x450 iput+0x2a0/0x3c4 do_unlinkat+0x2cc/0x490 __arm64_sys_unlinkat+0x90/0x100 invoke_syscall.constprop.0+0xa8/0x260 do_el0_svc+0xc8/0x1f0 el0_svc+0x34/0x70 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x108/0x114 el0t_64_sync+0x1a4/0x1a8 The offending `memcpy()` in `ubifs_copy_hash()` has a use-after-free when a node becomes root in TNC but still has a `cparent` to an already freed node. More specifically, consider the following TNC: zroot / / zp1 / / zn Inserting a new node `zn_new` with a key smaller then `zn` will trigger a split in `tnc_insert()` if `zp1` is full: zroot / \ / \ zp1 zp2 / \ / \ zn_new zn `zn->parent` has now been moved to `zp2`, *but* `zn->cparent` still points to `zp1`. Now, consider a removal of all the nodes _except_ `zn`. Just when `tnc_delete()` is about to delete `zroot` and `zp2`: zroot \ \ zp2 \ \ zn `zroot` and `zp2` get freed and the tree collapses: zn `zn` now becomes the new `zroot`. `get_znodes_to_commit()` will now only find `zn`, the new `zroot`, and `write_index()` will check its `znode->cparent` that wrongly points to the already freed `zp1`. `ubifs_copy_hash()` thus gets wrongly called with `znode->cparent->zbranch[znode->iip].hash` that triggers the use-after-free! Fix this by explicitly setting `znode->cparent` to `NULL` in `get_znodes_to_commit()` for the root node. The search for the dirty nodes ---truncated---

The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability was named CVE-2024-53171 since 11/19/2024. The exploitation appears to be difficult. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available. The current price for an exploit might be approx. USD $0-$5k (estimation calculated on 02/13/2025).

The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 216224 (Oracle Linux 7 / 8 : Unbreakable Enterprise kernel (ELSA-2025-20100)), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.

Upgrading to version 5.4.287, 5.10.231, 5.15.174, 6.1.120, 6.6.64, 6.11.11 or 6.12.2 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch daac4aa1825de0dbc1a6eede2fa7f9fc53f14223/8d8b3f5f4cbfbf6cb0ea4a4d5dc296872b4151eb/4d9807048b851d7a58d5bd089c16254af896e4df/74981f7577d183acad1cd58f74c10d263711a215/01d3a2293d7e4edfff96618c15727db7e51f11b6/398a91599d263e41c5f95a2fd4ebdb6280b5c6c3/2497479aecebe869d23a0064e0fd1a03e34f0e2a/4617fb8fc15effe8eda4dd898d4e33eb537a7140 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 (216224). VulDB is the best source for vulnerability data and more expert information about this specific topic.

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 5.4.286
• 5.10.230
• 5.15.173
• 6.1.119
• 6.6.0
• 6.6.1
• 6.6.2
• 6.6.3
• 6.6.4
• 6.6.5
• 6.6.6
• 6.6.7
• 6.6.8
• 6.6.9
• 6.6.10
• 6.6.11
• 6.6.12
• 6.6.13
• 6.6.14
• 6.6.15
• 6.6.16
• 6.6.17
• 6.6.18
• 6.6.19
• 6.6.20
• 6.6.21
• 6.6.22
• 6.6.23
• 6.6.24
• 6.6.25
• 6.6.26
• 6.6.27
• 6.6.28
• 6.6.29
• 6.6.30
• 6.6.31
• 6.6.32
• 6.6.33
• 6.6.34
• 6.6.35
• 6.6.36
• 6.6.37
• 6.6.38
• 6.6.39
• 6.6.40
• 6.6.41
• 6.6.42
• 6.6.43
• 6.6.44
• 6.6.45
• 6.6.46
• 6.6.47
• 6.6.48
• 6.6.49
• 6.6.50
• 6.6.51
• 6.6.52
• 6.6.53
• 6.6.54
• 6.6.55
• 6.6.56
• 6.6.57
• 6.6.58
• 6.6.59
• 6.6.60
• 6.6.61
• 6.6.62
• 6.6.63
• 6.11.0
• 6.11.1
• 6.11.2
• 6.11.3
• 6.11.4
• 6.11.5
• 6.11.6
• 6.11.7
• 6.11.8
• 6.11.9
• 6.11.10
• 6.12.0
• 6.12.1

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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CPE 2.2info

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Entryinfo

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