CVE-2024-53118
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Virtual Socket (vsock) implementation. When zero-copy data transfers are used, completion notifications placed on a socket's error queue are not cleared when the socket is closed. A local user can exploit this flaw to trigger an uncollected memory leak, potentially leading to system memory exhaustion and a Denial of Service (DoS).
Mitigation
Prevent autoloading of the vsock kernel module on systems where virtual machine socket communication is not required.
To prevent the vsock module from loading, run the following commands as root:
# echo "blacklist vsock" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-vsock.conf
# echo "install vsock /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-vsock.conf
If the module is already loaded in memory, a system restart is required for changes to take effect. Disabling this module prevents communication between virtual machines and the host hypervisor over the VSOCK address family, which may disrupt guest integration daemons and services.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.1 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | Low |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | None | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | None |
| Availability Impact | Low | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:L
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Availability
Technical Impact: DoS: Crash, Exit, or Restart; DoS: Instability; DoS: Resource Consumption (CPU); DoS: Resource Consumption (Memory)
Most memory leaks result in general product reliability problems, but if an attacker can intentionally trigger a memory leak, the attacker might be able to launch a denial of service attack (by crashing or hanging the program) or take advantage of other unexpected program behavior resulting from a low memory condition.
Other
Technical Impact: Reduce Performance
Frequently Asked Questions
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