CVE-2024-50159
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel, specifically within the arm_scmi firmware component. This vulnerability, a 'double free', occurs when a specific system function fails, causing memory to be released twice. This can lead to memory corruption. A local attacker with low privileges could exploit this issue, potentially causing the system to crash (denial of service) or allowing them to gain elevated access (privilege escalation).
Mitigation
To mitigate this issue, prevent the `arm_scmi` kernel module from loading. Create a file named `/etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-arm_scmi.conf` with the following content:
blacklist arm_scmi
After creating the file, regenerate the initramfs and reboot the system for the changes to take effect. This mitigation may impact functionality that relies on the ARM SCMI driver.
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 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7 |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | Local |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | High |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | Low |
| User Interaction | None | None | None |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | Unchanged |
| Confidentiality | High | High | High |
| Integrity Impact | High | High | High |
| Availability Impact | High | High | High |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
cve.org: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Integrity,Confidentiality,Availability
Technical Impact: Modify Memory; Execute Unauthorized Code or Commands
When a program calls free() twice with the same argument, the program's memory management data structures may become corrupted, potentially leading to the reading or modification of unexpected memory addresses. This corruption can cause the program to crash or, in some circumstances, cause two later calls to malloc() to return the same pointer. If malloc() returns the same value twice and the program later gives the attacker control over the data that is written into this doubly-allocated memory, the program becomes vulnerable to a buffer overflow attack. Doubly freeing memory may result in a write-what-where condition, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code.
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