mm/filemap: make MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER acceptable to xarray
Key facts
- Attack vector
- Local
- Privileges required
- Low
- User interaction
- None
- Attack complexity
- Low
- Impact type
- —
- Confidentiality · integrity · availability
- None · None · High
- Fix status
- Partial Red Hat: 10 fixed, 3 without a fix
Attack profile from CVSS 3.1 · NVD. Fix status from CNA and Red Hat.
Summary
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/filemap: make MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER acceptable to xarray Patch series "mm/filemap: Limit page cache size to that supported by xarray", v2. Currently, xarray can't support arbitrary page cache size. More details can be found from the WARN_ON() statement in xas_split_alloc(). In our test whose code is attached below, we hit the WARN_ON() on ARM64 system where the base page size is 64KB and huge page size is 512MB. The issue was reported long time ago and some discussions on it can be found here [1]. [1] https://www.spinics.net/lists/linux-xfs/msg75404.html In order to fix the issue, we need to adjust MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER to one supported by xarray and avoid PMD-sized page cache if needed. The code changes are suggested by David Hildenbrand. PATCH[1] adjusts MAX_PAGECACHE_ORDER to that supported by xarray PATCH[2-3] avoids PMD-sized page cache in the synchronous readahead path PATCH[4] avoids PMD-sized page cache for shmem files if needed Test program ============ # cat test.c #define _GNU_SOURCE #include <stdio.h> #include <stdlib.h> #include <unistd.h> #include <string.h> #include <fcntl.h> #include <errno.h> #include <sys/syscall.h> #include <sys/mman.h> #define TEST_XFS_FILENAME "/tmp/data" #define TEST_SHMEM_FILENAME "/dev/shm/data" #define TEST_MEM_SIZE 0x20000000 int main(int argc, char **argv) { const char *filename; int fd = 0; void *buf = (void *)-1, *p; int pgsize = getpagesize(); int ret; if (pgsize != 0x10000) { fprintf(stderr, "64KB base page size is required\n"); return -EPERM; } system("echo force > /sys/kernel/mm/transparent_hugepage/shmem_enabled"); system("rm -fr /tmp/data"); system("rm -fr /dev/shm/data"); system("echo 1 > /proc/sys/vm/drop_caches"); /* Open xfs or shmem file */ filename = TEST_XFS_FILENAME; if (argc > 1 && !strcmp(argv[1], "shmem")) filename = TEST_SHMEM_FILENAME; fd = open(filename, O_CREAT | O_RDWR | O_TRUNC); if (fd < 0) { fprintf(stderr, "Unable to open <%s>\n", filename); return -EIO; } /* Extend file size */ ret = ftruncate(fd, TEST_MEM_SIZE); if (ret) { fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to ftruncate()\n", ret); goto cleanup; } /* Create VMA */ buf = mmap(NULL, TEST_MEM_SIZE, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_SHARED, fd, 0); if (buf == (void *)-1) { fprintf(stderr, "Unable to mmap <%s>\n", filename); goto cleanup; } fprintf(stdout, "mapped buffer at 0x%p\n", buf); ret = madvise(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE, MADV_HUGEPAGE); if (ret) { fprintf(stderr, "Unable to madvise(MADV_HUGEPAGE)\n"); goto cleanup; } /* Populate VMA */ ret = madvise(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE, MADV_POPULATE_WRITE); if (ret) { fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to madvise(MADV_POPULATE_WRITE)\n", ret); goto cleanup; } /* Punch the file to enforce xarray split */ ret = fallocate(fd, FALLOC_FL_KEEP_SIZE | FALLOC_FL_PUNCH_HOLE, TEST_MEM_SIZE - pgsize, pgsize); if (ret) fprintf(stderr, "Error %d to fallocate()\n", ret); cleanup: if (buf != (void *)-1) munmap(buf, TEST_MEM_SIZE); if (fd > 0) close(fd); return 0; } # gcc test.c -o test # cat /proc/1/smaps | grep KernelPageSize | head -n 1 KernelPageSize: 64 kB # ./test shmem : ------------[ cut here ]------------ WARNING: CPU: 17 PID: 5253 at lib/xarray.c:1025 xas_split_alloc+0xf8/0x128 Modules linked in: nft_fib_inet nft_fib_ipv4 nft_fib_ipv6 nft_fib \ nft_reject_inet nf_reject_ipv4 nf_reject_ipv6 nft_reject nft_ct \ nft_chain_nat nf_nat nf_conntrack nf_defrag_ipv6 nf_defrag_ipv4 \ ip_set nf_tables rfkill nfnetlink vfat fat virtio_balloon \ drm fuse xfs libcrc32c crct10dif_ce ghash_ce sha2_ce sha256_arm64 \ virtio_net sha1_ce net_failover failover virtio_console virtio_blk \ dimlib virtio_mmio CPU: 17 PID: 5253 Comm: test Kdump: loaded Tainted: G W 6.10.0-rc5-gavin+ #12 Hardware name: QEMU KVM Virtual Machine, BIOS edk2-20240524-1.el9 05/24/2024 pstate: 83400005 (Nzcv daif +PAN -UAO +TC ---truncated---
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, 6.6.41, 6.9.10, 6.10
Red Hat 3 advisories
- RHSA-2024:10771 Released 2024-12-04 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, libperf-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4 +11
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) bpftool-7.3.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-64k-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4 +29
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) kernel-rt-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-427.47.1.el9_4 +11
- RHSA-2024:6744 Released 2024-09-18 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel security update
- Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) kernel-tools-libs-devel-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) kernel-64k-debug-devel-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-debug-devel-matched-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-devel-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) bpftool-7.0.0-284.84.1.el9_2, kernel-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2, kernel-64k-5.14.0-284.84.1.el9_2 +29
- RHSA-2024:6745 Released 2024-09-18 · Red Hat rating Moderatekernel-rt security update
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2 +9
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.2) kernel-rt-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2, kernel-rt-core-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2, kernel-rt-debug-5.14.0-284.84.1.rt14.369.el9_2 +11
Vendor assessments
Red Hat
Red Hat rating: Low. 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 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6744 |
| Red Hat CodeReady Linux Builder EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:10771 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6744 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:10771 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6744 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux BaseOS EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:10771 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6745 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:10771 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.2) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:6745 |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux Real Time for NFV EUS (v.9.4) | Fixed | RHSA-2024:10771 |
Not affected: 2 products
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux AppStream EUS (v.9.2)
Timeline
- 2026-10-02 Threatist record created from CVE-2024-42243
- 2026-10-03 Alias added: GHSA-7j6j-8jww-jc3g
- 2026-10-30 Fix available: Linux/Linux@0c8a837153c15c33f9b4616860331a2dba1120c1, Linux/[email protected] · CNA
- 2026-10-30 1 new reference · CNA
- 2026-11-06 Affected versions changed · Red Hat
References
Patch 3
More Linux Kernel vulnerabilities
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- TI-2026-38352 netfilter: bridge: make ebt_snat ARP rewrite writable KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2013-05264 The (1) get_user and (2) put_user API functions in the Linux kernel before 3.5.5 on the… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.8
- TI-2022-00125 Integer overflow in kernel KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2013-01864 The perf_swevent_init function in kernel/events/core.c in the Linux kernel before 3.8.9… KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.4
- TI-2021-05514 Heap Out-Of-Bounds Write in Netfilter IP6T_SO_SET_REPLACE KEVCVSS 3.1HIGH 8.3
Sources
- CVE-2024-42243 · CVE Program
- CVE-2024-42243 · NVD
- FIRST EPSS
- GHSA-7j6j-8jww-jc3g · GitHub Advisory Database · CC BY 4.0
- CVE-2024-42243 · Red Hat security data · CC BY 4.0
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