CVE-2024-40974

High

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: powerpc/pseries: Enforce hcall result buffer validity and size plpar_hcall(), plpar_hcall9(), and related functions expect callers to provide valid result buffers of certain minimum size. Currently this is communicated only through comments in the code and the compiler has no idea. For example, if I write a bug like this: long retbuf[PLPAR_HCALL_BUFSIZE]; // should be PLPAR_HCALL9_BUFSIZE plpar_hcall9(H_ALLOCATE_VAS_WINDOW, retbuf, ...); This compiles with no diagnostics emitted, but likely results in stack corruption at runtime when plpar_hcall9() stores results past the end of the array. (To be clear this is a contrived example and I have not found a real instance yet.) To make this class of error less likely, we can use explicitly-sized array parameters instead of pointers in the declarations for the hcall APIs. When compiled with -Warray-bounds[1], the code above now provokes a diagnostic like this: error: array argument is too small; is of size 32, callee requires at least 72 [-Werror,-Warray-bounds] 60 | plpar_hcall9(H_ALLOCATE_VAS_WINDOW, retbuf, | ^ ~~~~~~ [1] Enabled for LLVM builds but not GCC for now. See commit 0da6e5fd6c37 ("gcc: disable '-Warray-bounds' for gcc-13 too") and related changes.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2024-07-12
Last modified 2025-11-03
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Awaiting data

CVSS 3.1 score

7.8

out of 10
High
Attack Vector
Local
Attack Complexity
Low
Privileges Required
Low
User Interaction
None
Scope
Unchanged
Confidentiality
High
Integrity
High
Availability
High
Vector string
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H

Weakness type

CWE-787

CVE-2024-40974 is a Out-of-bounds Write vulnerability

What is Out-of-bounds Write?

The product writes data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer. Learn more on MITRE CWE

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2024-40974 including vendor advisories, patch commits, exploit details, and third-party analysis. Links are sourced from the NIST NVD database.

Frequently asked questions

  • What is CVE-2024-40974?

    CVE-2024-40974 is a High severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10 , classified as an Out-of-bounds Write flaw (CWE-787) . CVE-2024-40974 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-40974?

    CVE-2024-40974 has a CVSS score of 7.8 out of 10, rated High severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2024-40974?

    No patch is currently available for CVE-2024-40974. Monitor the NIST NVD and your Linux distribution's security advisories for updates.

  • Is CVE-2024-40974 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2024-40974 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Out-of-bounds Write (CWE-787)?

    The product writes data past the end or before the beginning of the intended buffer. View CWE-787 on MITRE CWE →