Junglewise Threat Intelligence

CVE-2024-49900: Linux Kernel JFS uninitialized memory access in ea_buffer

CVE-2024-49900 · Severity: high · CVSS 7.1 · Published 2024-10-21

Technologies: Linux Kernel. Vendors: Linux.

Executive brief

A vulnerability was identified in the Linux kernel's JFS file system component. A local attacker could exploit this flaw to access uninitialized memory, potentially leading to the exposure of sensitive information or causing a system crash. This affects systems using the JFS file system, which is commonly used for managing data storage on Linux-based servers and workstations.

Technical details

The vulnerability is a use of uninitialized resource (CWE-908) within the JFS file system's extended attribute (xattr) handling. Specifically, the 'new_ea' field in the 'ea_buffer' structure is not properly initialized in the 'ea_get()' function. When 'lzo1x_1_do_compress' or other functions attempt to process this uninitialized data, it can lead to kernel memory disclosure or a denial-of-service (system crash). The fix involves using 'memset' to zero-initialize the 'new_ea' buffer at the start of 'ea_get()'. This is a local attack vector requiring low privileges.

Affected products

  • Linux Linux Kernel up to 5.10.227, 5.11 to 5.15.168, 5.16 to 6.1.113, 6.2 to 6.6.55, 6.7 to 6.10.14, 6.11 to 6.11.3

Timeline

  • 2024-10-21: advisory: Initial publication of the vulnerability advisory.
  • 2024-09-04: patched: Initial patch commit authored.

References

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