CVE-2024-50182: secretmem: disable memfd_secret() if arch cannot set direct map

Published Nov 8, 2024
·
Updated

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

secretmem: disable memfdsecret() if arch cannot set direct map

Return -ENOSYS from memfdsecret() syscall if !cansetdirectmap(). This is the case for example on some arm64 configurations, where marking 4k PTEs in the direct map not present can only be done if the direct map is set up at 4k granularity in the first place (as ARM's break-before-make semantics do not easily allow breaking apart large/gigantic pages).

More precisely, on arm64 systems with !cansetdirectmap(), setdirectmapinvalidnoflush() is a no-op, however it returns success (0) instead of an error. This means that memfdsecret will seemingly "work" (e.g. syscall succeeds, you can mmap the fd and fault in pages), but it does not actually achieve its goal of removing its memory from the direct map.

Note that with this patch, memfdsecret() will start erroring on systems where cansetdirectmap() returns false (arm64 with CONFIGRODATAFULLDEFAULTENABLED=n, CONFIGDEBUGPAGEALLOC=n and CONFIGKFENCE=n), but that still seems better than the current silent failure. Since CONFIGRODATAFULLDEFAULTENABLED defaults to 'y', most arm64 systems actually have a working memfdsecret() and aren't be affected.

From going through the iterations of the original memfdsecret patch series, it seems that disabling the syscall in these scenarios was the intended behavior [1] (preferred over having setdirectmapinvalidnoflush return an error as that would result in SIGBUSes at page-fault time), however the check for it got dropped between v16 [2] and v17 [3], when secretmem moved away from CMA allocations.

[1]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20201124164930.GK8537@kernel.org/ [2]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20210121122723.3446-11-rppt@kernel.org/#t [3]: https://lore.kernel.org/lkml/20201125092208.12544-10-rppt@kernel.org/

Other sources

This CVE was automatically created from a reference found in an email or other text. If you are reading this, then this CVE entry is probably erroneous, since this text should be replaced by the official CVE description automatically.

Launchpad

Affected Software

11 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel>=5.14<5.15.169
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.113
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.57
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.11.4
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc2
debian/linux
5.10.223-15.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.22-16.12.25-1
debian/linux-6.1
6.1.129-1~deb11u1
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.167.1-2
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.173.1-1
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.167.1-2

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/linux to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.10.223-1Fixed in 5.10.234-1Fixed in 6.1.129-1Fixed in 6.1.135-1Fixed in 6.12.22-1Fixed in 6.12.25-1
  2. Upgrade

    Upgrade debian/linux-6.1 to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.1.129-1~deb11u1

Event History

Nov 8, 2024
CVE Published
via MITRE·05:38 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·05:38 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via NVD·06:15 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·01:50 PM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Dec 12, 2024
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
DescriptionSeverityWeakness
Data Sourced
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
SeverityAffected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Affected Software
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Description
Feb 24, 2025
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:45 AM
Description
May 3, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:01 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2024-50182?

The severity of CVE-2024-50182 is classified as medium as it affects the kernel's memory management functions.

2

How do I fix CVE-2024-50182?

To fix CVE-2024-50182, update your Linux kernel to a version that addresses this vulnerability, namely 5.15.170 or higher.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2024-50182?

CVE-2024-50182 affects various versions of the Linux kernel from 5.14 up to 6.12-rc2.

4

What impact does CVE-2024-50182 have on system security?

CVE-2024-50182 can potentially allow unauthorized memory access on systems that cannot set direct maps.

5

Is CVE-2024-50182 part of a larger security issue?

No, CVE-2024-50182 is a standalone vulnerability related specifically to the memfd_secret() syscall in certain Linux kernel configurations.

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