CVE-2024-50229

Medium

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nilfs2: fix potential deadlock with newly created symlinks Syzbot reported that page_symlink(), called by nilfs_symlink(), triggers memory reclamation involving the filesystem layer, which can result in circular lock dependencies among the reader/writer semaphore nilfs->ns_segctor_sem, s_writers percpu_rwsem (intwrite) and the fs_reclaim pseudo lock. This is because after commit 21fc61c73c39 ("don't put symlink bodies in pagecache into highmem"), the gfp flags of the page cache for symbolic links are overwritten to GFP_KERNEL via inode_nohighmem(). This is not a problem for symlinks read from the backing device, because the __GFP_FS flag is dropped after inode_nohighmem() is called. However, when a new symlink is created with nilfs_symlink(), the gfp flags remain overwritten to GFP_KERNEL. Then, memory allocation called from page_symlink() etc. triggers memory reclamation including the FS layer, which may call nilfs_evict_inode() or nilfs_dirty_inode(). And these can cause a deadlock if they are called while nilfs->ns_segctor_sem is held: Fix this issue by dropping the __GFP_FS flag from the page cache GFP flags of newly created symlinks in the same way that nilfs_new_inode() and __nilfs_read_inode() do, as a workaround until we adopt nofs allocation scope consistently or improve the locking constraints.

Package Linux Kernel
Published 2024-11-09
Last modified 2025-11-03
CVSS version 3.1
Patch available
Yes

CVSS 3.1 score

5.5

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

Weakness type

CWE-667

CVE-2024-50229 is a Improper Locking vulnerability

What is Improper Locking?

The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. Learn more on MITRE CWE

Affected versions

Linux kernel versions 4.4.116, 4.5 and later are affected. Fixed in 4.19.323, 5.4.285, 5.10.229, 5.15.171, 6.1.116, 6.6.60, 6.11.7, 6.12 and their respective stable series.

Affected from
≥ 4.4.116 ≥ 4.5
Fixed in
✓ 4.19.323 4.19.x ✓ 5.4.285 5.4.x ✓ 5.10.229 5.10.x ✓ 5.15.171 5.15.x ✓ 6.1.116 6.1.x ✓ 6.6.60 6.6.x ✓ 6.11.7 6.11.x ✓ 6.12

References

The following references provide additional information about CVE-2024-50229 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-2024-50229?

    CVE-2024-50229 is a Medium severity Linux kernel vulnerability with a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10 , classified as an Improper Locking flaw (CWE-667) . It affects Linux kernel versions from 4.4.116 onward and has been patched in 4.19.323, 5.4.285, 5.10.229 and others. CVE-2024-50229 has not been confirmed as actively exploited and is not listed in the CISA KEV catalog.

  • What is the CVSS score for CVE-2024-50229?

    CVE-2024-50229 has a CVSS score of 5.5 out of 10, rated Medium severity (CVSS 3.1). The vector string is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H .

  • Is there a patch available for CVE-2024-50229?

    Yes — CVE-2024-50229 has been patched. Fixed versions include 4.19.323, 5.4.285, 5.10.229 and others. If you are running Linux kernel 4.4.116 or later up to the fix versions, apply the relevant patch for your kernel branch.

  • Is CVE-2024-50229 actively exploited?

    No — CVE-2024-50229 has not been confirmed as actively exploited. It is not listed in the CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

  • What is Improper Locking (CWE-667)?

    The product does not properly acquire or release a lock, which can lead to unexpected behaviour. View CWE-667 on MITRE CWE →