CVE-2024-55916

Drivers: hv: util: Avoid accessing a ringbuffer not initialized yet

MEDIUM
5.5
CVSS Score
Published: January 11, 2025 at 12:35 PM UTC
Updated: June 17, 2026 at 08:11 AM UTC
1 product affected across 1 vendorLinux Kernel

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Severity
MEDIUM5.5
Exploit prediction
EPSS 0.2%
SSVC
No known exploit

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: Drivers: hv: util: Avoid accessing a ringbuffer not initialized yet If the KVP (or VSS) daemon starts before the VMBus channel's ringbuffer is fully initialized, we can hit the panic below: hv_utils: Registering HyperV Utility Driver hv_vmbus: registering driver hv_utils ... BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 CPU: 44 UID: 0 PID: 2552 Comm: hv_kvp_daemon Tainted: G E 6.11.0-rc3+ #1 RIP: 0010:hv_pkt_iter_first+0x12/0xd0 Call Trace: ... vmbus_recvpacket hv_kvp_onchannelcallback vmbus_on_event tasklet_action_common tasklet_action handle_softirqs irq_exit_rcu sysvec_hyperv_stimer0 </IRQ> <TASK> asm_sysvec_hyperv_stimer0 ... kvp_register_done hvt_op_read vfs_read ksys_read __x64_sys_read This can happen because the KVP/VSS channel callback can be invoked even before the channel is fully opened: 1) as soon as hv_kvp_init() -> hvutil_transport_init() creates /dev/vmbus/hv_kvp, the kvp daemon can open the device file immediately and register itself to the driver by writing a message KVP_OP_REGISTER1 to the file (which is handled by kvp_on_msg() ->kvp_handle_handshake()) and reading the file for the driver's response, which is handled by hvt_op_read(), which calls hvt->on_read(), i.e. kvp_register_done(). 2) the problem with kvp_register_done() is that it can cause the channel callback to be called even before the channel is fully opened, and when the channel callback is starting to run, util_probe()-> vmbus_open() may have not initialized the ringbuffer yet, so the callback can hit the panic of NULL pointer dereference. To reproduce the panic consistently, we can add a "ssleep(10)" for KVP in __vmbus_open(), just before the first hv_ringbuffer_init(), and then we unload and reload the driver hv_utils, and run the daemon manually within the 10 seconds. Fix the panic by reordering the steps in util_probe() so the char dev entry used by the KVP or VSS daemon is not created until after vmbus_open() has completed. This reordering prevents the race condition from happening.

Affected

Our own answer: ranges merged, affected separated from platform-only, with confidence and review flags.

4.9 ≤ v < 5.10.2334.9 ≤ v < 5.15.1764.9 ≤ v < 5.4.2894.9 ≤ v < 6.1.1224.9 ≤ v < 6.12.74.9 ≤ v < 6.134.9 ≤ v < 6.6.685.11 ≤ v < 5.15.1765.16 ≤ v < 6.1.1225.5 ≤ v < 5.10.2336.2 ≤ v < 6.6.686.7 ≤ v < 6.12.76.13 rc16.13 rc26.13 rc3e0fa3e5e7df61eb2c339c9f0067c202c0cdeec2c
Vendor states this is fixed in 042253c57be901bfd19f15b68267442b70f510d5 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 07a756a49f4b4290b49ea46e089cbe6f79ff8d26 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 3dd7a30c6d7f90afcf19e9b072f572ba524d7ec6 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 718fe694a334be9d1a89eed22602369ac18d6583 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 89fcec5e466b3ac9b376e0d621c71effa1a7983f (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in d81f4e73aff9b861671df60e5100ad25cc16fbf8 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in f091a224a2c82f1e302b1768d73bb6332f687321 (fixed)
Vendor states this is fixed in 4.9 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.10.233 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.15.176 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 5.4.289 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.1.122 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.12.7 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.13 (unaffected)
Vendor states this is fixed in 6.6.68 (unaffected)

References (9)

Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/042253c57be901bfd19f15b68267442b70f510d5
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/07a756a49f4b4290b49ea46e089cbe6f79ff8d26
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3dd7a30c6d7f90afcf19e9b072f572ba524d7ec6
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/718fe694a334be9d1a89eed22602369ac18d6583
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/89fcec5e466b3ac9b376e0d621c71effa1a7983f
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d81f4e73aff9b861671df60e5100ad25cc16fbf8
Patch
Source: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/f091a224a2c82f1e302b1768d73bb6332f687321
Source: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108
https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html

SSVC — Action Prioritization

SSVCNo known exploitNot automatablePartial impact

SSVC signals action urgency (what to patch first), separate from CVSS which measures severity.

CVSS

5.5MEDIUMCISA-ADP
Attack Vector
LOCAL
Complexity
LOW
Privileges
LOW
User Interaction
NONE
Scope
UNCHANGED
Confidentiality
NONE
Integrity
NONE
Availability
HIGH
Vector?

Quick Info

StatusMODIFIED
CWE
CWE-476

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