ext4: fix uninitialized ratelimit_state->lock access in __ext4_fill_super()
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- Denial of service
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 21 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat. Impact type from CWE-908 and the CVSS impact.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: fix uninitialized ratelimit_state->lock access in __ext4_fill_super() In the following concurrency we will access the uninitialized rs->lock: ext4_fill_super ext4_register_sysfs // sysfs registered msg_ratelimit_interval_ms // Other processes modify rs->interval to // non-zero via msg_ratelimit_interval_ms ext4_orphan_cleanup ext4_msg(sb, KERN_INFO, "Errors on filesystem, " __ext4_msg ___ratelimit(&(EXT4_SB(sb)->s_msg_ratelimit_state) if (!rs->interval) // do nothing if interval is 0 return 1; raw_spin_trylock_irqsave(&rs->lock, flags) raw_spin_trylock(lock) _raw_spin_trylock __raw_spin_trylock spin_acquire(&lock->dep_map, 0, 1, _RET_IP_) lock_acquire __lock_acquire register_lock_class assign_lock_key dump_stack(); ratelimit_state_init(&sbi->s_msg_ratelimit_state, 5 * HZ, 10); raw_spin_lock_init(&rs->lock); // init rs->lock here and get the following dump_stack: ========================================================= INFO: trying to register non-static key. The code is fine but needs lockdep annotation, or maybe you didn't initialize this object before use? turning off the locking correctness validator. CPU: 12 PID: 753 Comm: mount Tainted: G E 6.7.0-rc6-next-20231222 #504 [...] Call Trace: dump_stack_lvl+0xc5/0x170 dump_stack+0x18/0x30 register_lock_class+0x740/0x7c0 __lock_acquire+0x69/0x13a0 lock_acquire+0x120/0x450 _raw_spin_trylock+0x98/0xd0 ___ratelimit+0xf6/0x220 __ext4_msg+0x7f/0x160 [ext4] ext4_orphan_cleanup+0x665/0x740 [ext4] __ext4_fill_super+0x21ea/0x2b10 [ext4] ext4_fill_super+0x14d/0x360 [ext4] [...] ========================================================= Normally interval is 0 until s_msg_ratelimit_state is initialized, so ___ratelimit() does nothing. But registering sysfs precedes initializing rs->lock, so it is possible to change rs->interval to a non-zero value via the msg_ratelimit_interval_ms interface of sysfs while rs->lock is uninitialized, and then a call to ext4_msg triggers the problem by accessing an uninitialized rs->lock. Therefore register sysfs after all initializations are complete to avoid such problems.
Why it matters now
SSVC decision points
CISA ADP · SSVC 2.0.3
- Exploitation
- None
- Automatable
- No
- Technical impact
- Partial
The decision (Track, Attend, Act) also depends on your mission and well-being impact; see CISA's SSVC guide.
Affected products
Remediation
- Fix · CNA Linux (Linux) Fixed in 6.1.191, 6.6.36, 6.9.7, 6.10
Red Hat 7 advisories
- RHSA-2024:8617 Released 2024-10-30 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) bpftool-7.3.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.42.1.el9_4 +9
- RHSA-2024:8616 Released 2024-10-30 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS AUS (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6 +14
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.6) bpftool-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-372.127.1.el8_6 +14
- RHSA-2024:8613 Released 2024-10-30 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2 +10
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) bpftool-7.0.0-284.90.1.el9_2, kernel-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-5.14.0-284.90.1.el9_2 +29
Show 4 more Red Hat advisories
- RHSA-2024:8614 Released 2024-10-30 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.90.1.rt14.375.el9_2 +11
- RHSA-2024:8107 Released 2024-10-15 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.8.8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-477.75.1.el8_8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.8) bpftool-4.18.0-477.75.1.el8_8, kernel-4.18.0-477.75.1.el8_8, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-477.75.1.el8_8 +19
- RHSA-2024:7000 Released 2024-09-24 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) bpftool-4.18.0-553.22.1.el8_10, kernel-4.18.0-553.22.1.el8_10, kernel-abi-stablelists-4.18.0-553.22.1.el8_10 +19
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) kernel-tools-libs-devel-4.18.0-553.22.1.el8_10
- RHSA-2024:7001 Released 2024-09-24 · Red Hat rating Importantkernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) kernel-rt-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10, kernel-rt-core-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10, kernel-rt-debug-4.18.0-553.22.1.rt7.363.el8_10 +7
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Moderate. Red Hat's page for this CVE →
| Product | Status | Plan or fix |
|---|---|---|
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 | Affected | No fix planned: Out of support scope |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Affected | No fix yet |
| RHOAI-2.13-RHEL-8 | Fixed | — |
| RHOAI-2.14-RHEL-8 | Fixed | — |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8107 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8613 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8617 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8613 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7000 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8617 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS AUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8616 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS E4S (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8616 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.8.8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8107 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8613 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS TUS (v.8.6) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8616 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7000 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux CRB (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8617 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7001 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux NFV (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8617 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 8) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:7001 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux RT (v. 9) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8617 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8614 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:8614 |
Not affected: 1 product
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-40998
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-p23j-c29j-hjgv
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@1e2df0ee0afd6d4b436a740f04f7a759e6531005, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: RHOAI-2.13-RHEL-8, RHOAI-2.14-RHEL-8 · Red Hat
References
Patch 3
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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Sources
- CVE-2024-40998 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-40998 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-p23j-c29j-hjgv · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-40998 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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