Kernel crash via unbalanced AX.25 reference count
Published Jul 12, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Denial of service in the Linux kernel AX.25 stack allows remote attackers to crash affected systems through inbound connections. The ax25_accept path omits netdev_hold() and ax25_dev_hold(), but ax25_release() still decrements both references, causing underflow. Exposure requires an AX.25 interface accepting connections from a shared radio channel or Ethernet segment; repeated sessions can crash the kernel or hang interface removal.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the Linux kernel AX.25 stack allows remote attackers to crash affected systems through inbound connections. The ax25_accept path omits netdev_hold() and ax25_dev_hold(), but ax25_release() still decrements both references, causing underflow. Exposure requires an AX.25 interface accepting connections from a shared radio channel or Ethernet segment; repeated sessions can crash the kernel or hang interface removal.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-40910
- Published
- Jul 12, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-911, T1499
- Attack vector
- adjacent
- Privileges
- unauthenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 12, 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=4.14.277 <4.15
- Affected versionversion=4.19.240 <4.20
- Affected versionversion=452ae92b99062d2f6a34324eaf705a3b7eac9f8b
- Affected versionversion=5.10.112 <5.11
- Affected versionversion=5.15.35 <5.16
- Affected versionversion=5.17.2 <5.18
- Affected versionversion=5.18
- Affected versionversion=534156dd4ed768e30a43de0036f45dca7c54818f
- Affected versionversion=5.4.190 <5.5
- Affected versionversion=9e1e088a57c23251f1cfe9601bbd90ade2ea73b9
- Affected versionversion=9fd75b66b8f68498454d685dc4ba13192ae069b0 <3c34fb0bd4a4237592c5ecb5b2e2531900c55774
- Affected versionversion=9fd75b66b8f68498454d685dc4ba13192ae069b0 <52100fd74ad07b53a4666feafff1cd11436362d3
- Affected versionversion=9fd75b66b8f68498454d685dc4ba13192ae069b0 <a723a6c8d4831cc8e2c7b0c9f3f0c010d4671964
- Affected versionversion=9fd75b66b8f68498454d685dc4ba13192ae069b0 <f4df9d6c8d4e4c818252b0419c2165d66eabd4eb
- Affected versionversion=b20a5ab0f5fb175750c6bafd4cf12daccf00c738
- Affected versionversion=c44a453ffe16eb08acdc6129ac4fa0192dbc0456
- Affected versionversion=de55a1338e6a48ff1e41ea8db1432496fbe2a62b
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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