CVE-2024-44971

5.5 · MEDIUM

Published Sep 4, 2024 linux CWE-401 EPSS 0.21% (11th pctl) CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Overview

CVE-2024-44971 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on September 4, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

net: dsa: bcm_sf2: Fix a possible memory leak in bcm_sf2_mdio_register()

bcm_sf2_mdio_register() calls of_phy_find_device() and then

phy_device_remove() in a loop to remove existing PHY devices.

of_phy_find_device() eventually calls bus_find_device(), which calls

get_device() on the returned struct device * to increment the refcount.

The current implementation does not decrement the refcount, which causes

memory leak.

This commit adds the missing phy_device_free() call to decrement the

refcount via put_device() to balance the refcount.

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
linux	linux_kernel	>= 5.10, < 5.10.224	Affected

References

Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/7feef10768ea71d468d9bbc1e0d14c461876768c Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/a7d2808d67570e6acae45c2a96e0d59986888e4c Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/b7b8d9f5e679af60c94251fd6728dde34be69a71 Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/c05516c072903f6fb9134b8e7e1ad4bffcdc4819 Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/e3862093ee93fcfbdadcb7957f5f8974fffa806a Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/f3d5efe18a11f94150fee8b3fda9d62079af640a Ref lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/10/msg00003.html Ref lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-44971?

CVE-2024-44971 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on September 4, 2024 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-44971?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2024-44971?

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2024-44971?

CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2024-44971 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.

How CyberStrike Helps

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HackBrowser

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