CVE-2024-40972

System hang via EA inode allocation under lock

Published Jul 12, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026

Improper locking in the ext4 extended-attribute path allows local users to hang Linux through a crafted corrupted filesystem. The ext4_xattr_set_entry() path allocates a new extended-attribute inode while holding the external xattr block's buffer lock, nesting allocation locks beneath it. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a corrupted ext4 filesystem whose quota file uses an xattr block as a data block, causing a deadlock and system hang.

CVSS severity5.5
Medium
EPSS probability0.22%
Next 30 days · Sep 16, 2026
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Based on sourced intelligence
Hinoki checkNot available
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Summary

What happened

Improper locking in the ext4 extended-attribute path allows local users to hang Linux through a crafted corrupted filesystem. The ext4_xattr_set_entry() path allocates a new extended-attribute inode while holding the external xattr block's buffer lock, nesting allocation locks beneath it. Exploitation requires local low-privileged access and a corrupted ext4 filesystem whose quota file uses an xattr block as a data block, causing a deadlock and system hang.

The record

CVE
CVE-2024-40972
Published
Jul 12, 2024
Updated
May 11, 2026
Vendor
The Linux Kernel Organization
Product
Linux
Classifications
CWE-667, T1499
Attack vector
local
Privileges
authenticated

Timeline

How it unfolded

  1. Jul 12, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
  2. May 11, 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.

  1. Affected versionversion=4.13
  2. Affected versionversion=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <0752e7fb549d90c33b4d4186f11cfd25a556d1dd
  3. Affected versionversion=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <0a46ef234756dca04623b7591e8ebb3440622f0b
  4. Affected versionversion=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <111103907234bffd0a34fba070ad9367de058752
  5. Affected versionversion=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <737fb7853acd5bc8984f6f42e4bfba3334be8ae1

What conditions does exploitation require?

Attack vectorlocal
Required privilegesauthenticated

What is affected?

The Linux Kernel Organization · Linuxversion=4.13; version=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <0752e7fb549d90c33b4d4186f11cfd25a556d1dd; version=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <0a46ef234756dca04623b7591e8ebb3440622f0b; version=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <111103907234bffd0a34fba070ad9367de058752; version=e50e5129f384ae282adebfb561189cdb19b81cee <737fb7853acd5bc8984f6f42e4bfba3334be8ae1

Published CVSS scores

5.5NISTCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.

Attacks

What attackers are doing with it

Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.

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No observations available

Sep 10, 2026Sep 16, 2026
Latest reporting daySep 16, 2026
Latest daily unique IPsUnavailable
Prior 30-day averageUnavailable
SourceShadowserver honeypots (KEV)
Vectorlocal
Privilegesauthenticated
Known exploitationUnconfirmed
Public exploitUnconfirmed

Weakness, pattern, technique

CWE-667Improper Locking
T1499Endpoint Denial of Service

Public exploit references

No public exploit references are available in this record.

Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.

Technologies

Your stack

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Your stack

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