CVE-2024-53178
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's Server Message Block (SMB) client subsystem. A race condition can occur when an SMB reconnection event takes place while opening a cached directory, resulting in improperly handled reference counts and memory leaks. A local user could exploit this vulnerability through concurrent file operations during connection resets, leading to a system crash and a Denial of Service (DoS).
Mitigation
To mitigate this vulnerability, prevent the `cifs` kernel module from loading if SMB/CIFS network mounts are not required in your environment:
1. Create a configuration file to prevent the module from being loaded:
# echo "install cifs /bin/true" >> /etc/modprobe.d/disable-cifs.conf
2. If the module is already loaded, ensure all SMB/CIFS shares are unmounted, then unload the module:
# modprobe -r cifs
Caveats:
Applying this mitigation disables the ability to mount SMB/CIFS network file systems. If the CIFS module cannot be safely unloaded due to active mounts or dependencies, a system reboot is required for the configuration to take effect.
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).
The following CVSS metrics and score provided are preliminary and subject to review.
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.3 | 4.7 | 7.5 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Network |
| Attack Complexity | High | High | Low |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | None |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | None | None |
| Integrity Impact | None | None | None |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:N/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/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
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