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CVE-2024-50182· NVD / CVE Program· CNA Linux

secretmem: disable memfd_secret() if arch cannot set direct map

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: secretmem: disable memfd_secret() if arch cannot set direct map Return -ENOSYS from memfd_secret() syscall if !can_set_direct_map(). This is the case for example on some arm64 configurations, where marking 4k PTEs in the direct map not present can only be done if the direct map is set up at 4k granularity in the first place (as ARM's break-before-make semantics do not easily allow breaking apart large/gigantic pages). More precisely, on arm64 systems with !can_set_direct_map(), set_direct_map_invalid_noflush() is a no-op, however it returns success (0) instead of an error. This means that memfd_secret will seemingly "work" (e.g. syscall succeeds, you can mmap the fd and fault in pages), but it does not actually achieve its goal of removing its memory from the direct map. Note that with this patch, memfd_secret() will start erroring on systems where can_set_direct_map() returns false (arm64 with CONFIG_RODATA_FULL_DEFAULT_ENABLED=n, CONFIG_DEBUG_PAGEALLOC=n and CONFIG_KFENCE=n), but that still seems better than the current silent failure. Since CONFIG_RODATA_FULL_DEFAULT_ENABLED defaults to 'y', most arm64 systems actually have a working memfd_secret() and aren't be affected. From going through the iterations of the original memfd_secret patch series, it seems that disabling the syscall in these scenarios was the intended behavior [1] (preferred over having set_direct_map_invalid_noflush return an error as that would result in SIGBUSes at page-fault time), however the check for it got dropped between v16 [2] and v17 [3], when secretmem moved away from CMA allocations. [1]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20201124164930.GK8537@kernel.org/ [2]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20210121122723.3446-11-rppt@kernel.org/#t [3]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20201125092208.12544-10-rppt@kernel.org/

MediumCVSS 5.5 · v3.1—No exploit Fix available
Published
Nov 8, 2024
Updated
Aug 5, 2026
EPSS
0.2% · 13th percentile
CWE
—
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Report tools

JSON

Action score

22

Monitor

Low priority for now.

CVSS
22 / 40 · 5.5 / 10
CISA KEV
0 / 30 · Not listed
EPSS
0 / 30 · 0.2%

CISA SSVC decision

Exploitation
none
Automatable
no
Technical impact
partial

Vulnrichment: CISA's decision-tree inputs.

CNA vs NVD score

NVD
5.5
CNA · Linux
7.1
1.6 point gap

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:N

The score given by the assigning authority versus NVD’s independent score. A gap means the severity is contested.

Affected systems

VendorProduct
linuxlinux kernel

Affected versions

NVD version ranges (for catalog products). Add the product to your stack with a version and matching uses these.

  • linux linux kernel5.14 and later · before 5.15.169
  • linux linux kernel5.16 and later · before 6.1.113
  • linux linux kernel6.2 and later · before 6.6.57
  • linux linux kernel6.7 and later · before 6.11.4
  • linux linux kernel6.12

Versions reported by the vendor

Affected version ranges reported by the assigning authority (Linux). Independent of NVD's CPE analysis and usually ahead of it.

  • Linux Linux

    • 5.14affected
    • 1507f51255c9ff07d75909a84e7c0d7f3c4b2f49 and later · before d0ae6ffa1aeb297aef89f49cfb894a83c329ebadaffected · git
    • 1507f51255c9ff07d75909a84e7c0d7f3c4b2f49 and later · before 5ea0b7af38754d2b45ead9257bca47e84662e926affected · git
    • 1507f51255c9ff07d75909a84e7c0d7f3c4b2f49 and later · before 7caf966390e6e4ebf42775df54e7ee1f280ce677affected · git
    • 1507f51255c9ff07d75909a84e7c0d7f3c4b2f49 and later · before 757786abe4547eb3d9d0e8350a63bdb0f9824af2affected · git
    • 1507f51255c9ff07d75909a84e7c0d7f3c4b2f49 and later · before 532b53cebe58f34ce1c0f34d866f5c0e335c53c6affected · git
    • before 5.14not affected · semver
    • 5.15.169 and later · up to and including 5.15.*not affected · semver
    • 6.1.113 and later · up to and including 6.1.*not affected · semver
    • 6.6.57 and later · up to and including 6.6.*not affected · semver

Package-level exposure

OSV and GitHub Advisory data: ecosystem, package and range. SBOM matching uses this table.

EcosystemPackageAffected rangeFix
Debian:12linuxbefore 6.1.115-16.1.115-1
Debian:13linuxbefore 6.11.4-16.11.4-1

Same product

linux: all records

Other highest-scoring records for the same primary product.

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    89Now
  • CVE-2021-22555Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACEKEV
    85Now
  • CVE-2016-5195Race condition in mm/gup.c in the Linux kernel 2.x through 4.x before 4.8.3 allows local users to gain privileges by leveraging incorrect haKEV
    83Now
  • CVE-2019-13272In the Linux kernel before 5.1.17, ptrace_link in kernel/ptrace.c mishandles the recording of the credentials of a process that wants to creKEV
    77This week
  • CVE-2013-6282The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the v6k and v7 ARM platforms do not validate certain addKEV
    77This week
  • CVE-2013-2094The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9 uses an incorrect integer data type, which allows loKEV
    77This week

Remediation

Which version to upgrade to

Fix versions compiled from the vendor, package registries and Microsoft. Verify the vendor's note before upgrading.

Product / packageFixed versionSource
Linux Linux532b53cebe58f34ce1c0f34d866f5c0e335c53c6Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux5ea0b7af38754d2b45ead9257bca47e84662e926Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux757786abe4547eb3d9d0e8350a63bdb0f9824af2Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linux7caf966390e6e4ebf42775df54e7ee1f280ce677Vendor (CNA)
Linux Linuxd0ae6ffa1aeb297aef89f49cfb894a83c329ebadVendor (CNA)
debian:linux6.1.115-1 · Debian:12Package registry (OSV)

Exploit status

No known public exploit

No public exploit has been observed yet. That doesn't mean you're safe, only that the bar is a little higher.

Research context

For pentesters and researchers: attack profile, score disagreement, timeline, patch commits, credits, variant and chain candidates, bug bounty scope. All derived from existing data; no exploit code.

Timeline

From publication to today: proof of concept, Metasploit module, CISA KEV and fix record. Dates are as reported by the sources.

No dated events beyond publication.

EPSS, last 120 days

FIRST EPSS daily score; only changes of 0.01 or more are recorded (step chart).

Patch and commit links

Commit, PR and diff links among the references. A starting point for patch-diffing and variant hunting; fixes, not exploits.

No commit or PR link among the references.

Credits

All researchers

Finders, reporters and analysts named in the CNA record. Click a name for that researcher’s other records.

No credits in the CNA record.

Variant candidates

Same product, same weakness class, within 18 months. If the patch missed the root cause, the sibling bug is here.

No nightly-computed relations.

Chain candidates

An authentication bypass and a privilege-requiring bug in the same product, published close together: combined they may become an unauthenticated path.

—

Bug bounty scope

No known public program.

Source: bounty-targets-data (public HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, YesWeHack listings).

Technical details

Attack conditions

  • Someone with local access to the system can trigger it.
  • A low-privileged account is enough.
  • No user action is required.
  • No special conditions are required; it is repeatable.

If successful

Confidentiality
none
Integrity
none
Availability
high · the service can be disrupted
Attack vector
Local
Attack complexity
Low
Privileges required
Low
User interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality impact
None
Integrity impact
None
Availability impact
High

Weakness class (CWE)

—

CVSS vector

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

nvd-primary

Attack context

MITRE CAPEC attack patterns and ATT&CK techniques for this weakness class (CWE). A starting point for detection rules and threat hunting.

MITRE has no CAPEC/ATT&CK mapping for this CWE.

Noroxi analysis

No Noroxi analysis for this record yet

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Change log

  1. Fix✗ → ✓

For records you follow, these changes also arrive as notifications. →

References

Vendor advisories and official records. Exploit/PoC links are deliberately left out.

All records