CVE-2024-50301: security/keys: fix slab-out-of-bounds in key_task_permission

Published Nov 19, 2024
·
Updated

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

security/keys: fix slab-out-of-bounds in keytaskpermission

KASAN reports an out of bounds read: BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in kuidval include/linux/uidgid.h:36 BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in uideq include/linux/uidgid.h:63 [inline] BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in keytaskpermission+0x394/0x410 security/keys/permission.c:54 Read of size 4 at addr ffff88813c3ab618 by task stress-ng/4362

CPU: 2 PID: 4362 Comm: stress-ng Not tainted 5.10.0-14930-gafbffd6c3ede #15 Call Trace: dumpstack lib/dumpstack.c:82 [inline] dumpstack+0x107/0x167 lib/dumpstack.c:123 printaddressdescription.constprop.0+0x19/0x170 mm/kasan/report.c:400 kasanreport.cold+0x6c/0x84 mm/kasan/report.c:560 kasanreport+0x3a/0x50 mm/kasan/report.c:585 kuidval include/linux/uidgid.h:36 [inline] uideq include/linux/uidgid.h:63 [inline] keytaskpermission+0x394/0x410 security/keys/permission.c:54 searchnestedkeyrings+0x90e/0xe90 security/keys/keyring.c:793

This issue was also reported by syzbot.

It can be reproduced by following these steps(more details [1]): 1. Obtain more than 32 inputs that have similar hashes, which ends with the pattern '0xxxxxxxe6'. 2. Reboot and add the keys obtained in step 1.

The reproducer demonstrates how this issue happened: 1. In the searchnestedkeyrings function, when it iterates through the slots in a node(below tag ascendtonode), if the slot pointer is meta and node->backpointer != NULL(it means a root), it will proceed to descendtonode. However, there is an exception. If node is the root, and one of the slots points to a shortcut, it will be treated as a keyring. 2. Whether the ptr is keyring decided by keyringptriskeyring function. However, KEYRINGPTRSUBTYPE is 0x2UL, the same as ASSOCARRAYPTRSUBTYPEMASK. 3. When 32 keys with the similar hashes are added to the tree, the ROOT has keys with hashes that are not similar (e.g. slot 0) and it splits NODE A without using a shortcut. When NODE A is filled with keys that all hashes are xxe6, the keys are similar, NODE A will split with a shortcut. Finally, it forms the tree as shown below, where slot 6 points to a shortcut.

NODE A +------>+---+ ROOT | | 0 | xxe6 +---+ | +---+ xxxx | 0 | shortcut : : xxe6 +---+ | +---+ xxe6 : : | | | xxe6 +---+ | +---+ | 6 |---+ : : xxe6 +---+ +---+ xxe6 : : | f | xxe6 +---+ +---+ xxe6 | f | +---+

4. As mentioned above, If a slot(slot 6) of the root points to a shortcut, it may be mistakenly transferred to a key, leading to a read out-of-bounds read.

To fix this issue, one should jump to descendtonode if the ptr is a shortcut, regardless of whether the node is root or not.

[1] https://lore.kernel.org/linux-kernel/1cfa878e-8c7b-4570-8606-21daf5e13ce7@huaweicloud.com/

[jarkko: tweaked the commit message a bit to have an appropriate closes tag.]

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

19 affected componentsFixes available
Linux Linux kernel>=3.13<4.19.324
Linux Linux kernel>=4.20<5.4.286
Linux Linux kernel>=5.5<5.10.230
Linux Linux kernel>=5.11<5.15.172
Linux Linux kernel>=5.16<6.1.117
Linux Linux kernel>=6.2<6.6.61
Linux Linux kernel>=6.7<6.11.8
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc1
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc2
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc3
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc4
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc5
Linux Linux kernel=6.12-rc6
debian/linux<=5.10.223-1
5.10.234-16.1.129-16.1.135-16.12.25-16.12.27-1
debian/linux-6.1
6.1.129-1~deb11u1
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.167.1-2<5.15.173.1-1
5.15.173.1-1
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.57.1-7<6.6.64.2-1
6.6.64.2-1
Microsoft cbl2 kernel 5.15.173.1-1<5.15.173.1-1
5.15.173.1-1
Microsoft azl3 kernel 6.6.64.2-1<6.6.64.2-1
6.6.64.2-1

Remediation

Recommended actions to resolve this vulnerability, in priority order.

  1. Upgrade

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

    Fixed in 5.10.234-1Fixed in 6.1.129-1Fixed in 6.1.135-1Fixed in 6.12.25-1Fixed in 6.12.27-1
  2. Upgrade

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

    Fixed in 6.1.129-1~deb11u1
  3. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 5.15.173.1-1
  4. Upgrade

    Upgrade to a fixed release to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Fixed in 6.6.64.2-1
  5. Upgrade

    Upgrade Linux kernel to a version that resolves this vulnerability.

    Patch security/keys: fix slab-out-of-bounds in key_task_permission
  6. Configuration

    In security/keys/keyring.c within search_nested_keyrings (descend_to_node logic), ensure that when iterating slots below tag ascend_to_node, if the slot pointer is a shortcut, you always descend via descend_to_node even when node->back_pointer != NULL (root). This prevents the shortcut from being mistakenly transferred to a key* leading to the slab-out-of-bounds read in key_task_permission.

    Linux kernel keys subsystem search_nested_keyrings shortcut handling = Jump to descend_to_node when the slot pointer is a shortcut regardless of whether the node is root or not

Event History

Nov 19, 2024
CVE Published
via MITRE·01:30 AM
Data Sourced
via MITRE·01:30 AM
DescriptionSeverity
Data Sourced
via Red Hat·02:02 AM
DescriptionSeverityAffected Software
Data Sourced
via NVD·02:16 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityWeaknessAffected 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
DescriptionSeverity
Updated
via Microsoft·08:00 AM
Description
Feb 20, 2025
Data Sourced
via Launchpad·12:50 AM
Description
Apr 29, 2025
Data Sourced
via Ubuntu·01:09 AM
RemedyDescriptionSeverityAffected Software
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Frequently Asked Questions

1

What is the severity of CVE-2024-50301?

The severity of CVE-2024-50301 is classified as high due to potential exploitation that could lead to out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities.

2

How do I fix CVE-2024-50301?

To fix CVE-2024-50301, update your Linux kernel to the latest patched version provided by your distribution.

3

What systems are affected by CVE-2024-50301?

CVE-2024-50301 affects various versions of the Linux kernel, specifically versions from 3.13 to 6.12-rc6.

4

What exploit techniques are associated with CVE-2024-50301?

CVE-2024-50301 could potentially allow an attacker to perform arbitrary code execution through out-of-bounds memory access.

5

Is there a workaround for CVE-2024-50301 if I cannot update the kernel?

There are no reliable workarounds for CVE-2024-50301; updating the kernel is the recommended solution.

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