Highly exploitable, CVE-2024-56541 poses a critical security risk that could lead to severe breaches.
Status: Modified
Last updated: 🕓 11 Feb 2025, 16:15 UTC
Originally published on: 🕑 27 Dec 2024, 14:15 UTC
Time between publication and last update: 46 days
CVSS Release: version 3
nvd@nist.gov
Primary
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CVE-2024-56541: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: wifi: ath12k: fix use-after-free in ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup() During ath12k module removal, in ath12k_core_deinit(), ath12k_mac_destroy() un-registers ah->hw from mac80211 and frees the ah->hw as well as all the ar's in it. After this ath12k_core_soc_destroy()-> ath12k_dp_free()-> ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup() tries to access one of the freed ar's from pending skb. This is because during mac destroy, driver failed to flush few data packets, which were accessed later in ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup() and freed, but using ar from the packet led to this use-after-free. BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0x5e2/0xd40 [ath12k] Write of size 4 at addr ffff888150bd3514 by task modprobe/8926 CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 8926 Comm: modprobe Not tainted 6.11.0-rc2-wt-ath+ #1746 Hardware name: Intel(R) Client Systems NUC8i7HVK/NUC8i7HVB, BIOS HNKBLi70.86A.0067.2021.0528.1339 05/28/2021 Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0x7d/0xe0 print_address_description.constprop.0+0x33/0x3a0 print_report+0xb5/0x260 ? kasan_addr_to_slab+0x24/0x80 kasan_report+0xd8/0x110 ? ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0x5e2/0xd40 [ath12k] ? ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0x5e2/0xd40 [ath12k] kasan_check_range+0xf3/0x1a0 __kasan_check_write+0x14/0x20 ath12k_dp_cc_cleanup.part.0+0x5e2/0xd40 [ath12k] ath12k_dp_free+0x178/0x420 [ath12k] ath12k_core_stop+0x176/0x200 [ath12k] ath12k_core_deinit+0x13f/0x210 [ath12k] ath12k_pci_remove+0xad/0x1c0 [ath12k] pci_device_remove+0x9b/0x1b0 device_remove+0xbf/0x150 device_release_driver_internal+0x3c3/0x580 ? __kasan_check_read+0x11/0x20 driver_detach+0xc4/0x190 bus_remove_driver+0x130/0x2a0 driver_unregister+0x68/0x90 pci_unregister_driver+0x24/0x240 ? find_module_all+0x13e/0x1e0 ath12k_pci_exit+0x10/0x20 [ath12k] __do_sys_delete_module+0x32c/0x580 ? module_flags+0x2f0/0x2f0 ? kmem_cache_free+0xf0/0x410 ? __fput+0x56f/0xab0 ? __fput+0x56f/0xab0 ? debug_smp_processor_id+0x17/0x20 __x64_sys_delete_module+0x4f/0x70 x64_sys_call+0x522/0x9f0 do_syscall_64+0x64/0x130 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x4b/0x53 RIP: 0033:0x7f8182c6ac8b Commit 24de1b7b231c ("wifi: ath12k: fix flush failure in recovery scenarios") added the change to decrement the pending packets count in case of recovery which make sense as ah->hw as well all ar's in it are intact during recovery, but during core deinit there is no use in decrementing packets count or waking up the empty waitq as the module is going to be removed also ar's from pending skb's can't be used and the packets should just be released back. To fix this, avoid accessing ar from skb->cb when driver is being unregistered. Tested-on: QCN9274 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.WBE.1.1.1-00214-QCAHKSWPL_SILICONZ-1 Tested-on: WCN7850 hw2.0 PCI WLAN.HMT.1.0.c5-00481-QCAHMTSWPL_V1.0_V2.0_SILICONZ-3
The exploitability of CVE-2024-56541 depends on two key factors: attack complexity (the level of effort required to execute an exploit) and privileges required (the access level an attacker needs).
CVE-2024-56541 presents an accessible attack vector with minimal effort required. Restricting access controls and implementing security updates are critical to reducing exploitation risks.
A lower complexity and fewer privilege requirements make exploitation easier. Security teams should evaluate these aspects to determine the urgency of mitigation strategies, such as patch management and access control policies.
Attack Complexity (AC) measures the difficulty in executing an exploit. A high AC means that specific conditions must be met, making an attack more challenging, while a low AC means the vulnerability can be exploited with minimal effort.
Privileges Required (PR) determine the level of system access necessary for an attack. Vulnerabilities requiring no privileges are more accessible to attackers, whereas high privilege requirements limit exploitation to authorized users with elevated access.
Above is the CVSS Sub-score Breakdown for CVE-2024-56541, illustrating how Base, Impact, and Exploitability factors combine to form the overall severity rating. A higher sub-score typically indicates a more severe or easier-to-exploit vulnerability.
Below is the Impact Analysis for CVE-2024-56541, showing how Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability might be affected if the vulnerability is exploited. Higher values usually signal greater potential damage.
The EPSS score estimates the probability that this vulnerability will be exploited in the near future.
EPSS Score: 0.042% (probability of exploit)
EPSS Percentile: 5.02%
(lower percentile = lower relative risk)
This vulnerability is less risky than approximately 94.98% of others.
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