Kernel memory corruption via unbounded counter formatting
Published Jun 19, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Buffer overflow in Linux from 5.8 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through RCU task-tracing status output. show_rcu_tasks_trace_gp_kthread() formats four potentially huge unsigned counters with sprintf() into a fixed 64-byte stack buffer without enforcing its capacity. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access, high complexity, and counter values that upstream describes as unrealistically high; an overrun can compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
Summary
What happened
Buffer overflow in Linux from 5.8 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory through RCU task-tracing status output. show_rcu_tasks_trace_gp_kthread() formats four potentially huge unsigned counters with sprintf() into a fixed 64-byte stack buffer without enforcing its capacity. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access, high complexity, and counter values that upstream describes as unrealistically high; an overrun can compromise kernel confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-38577
- Published
- Jun 19, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-120, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jun 19, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- Aug 5, 2026Record updatedLatest update available in the CVE record.
Exploitability
Present is not the same as exploitable
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Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=5.8
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <08186d0c5fb64a1cc4b43e009314ee6b173ed222
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <17c43211d45f13d1badea3942b76bf16bcc49281
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <1a240e138071b25944ded0f5b3e357aa99fabcb7
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <32d988f48ed287e676a29a15ac30701c35849aec
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <6593d857ce5b5b802fb73d8091ac9c84b92c1697
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <af7b560c88fb420099e29890aa682b8a3efc8784
- Affected versionversion=edf3775f0ad66879796f594983163f672c4bf1a2 <cc5645fddb0ce28492b15520306d092730dffa48
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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