Local privilege escalation via writable BPF memory
Published Jul 29, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Memory-protection failure in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain kernel privileges through interpreted BPF programs. bpf_prog_lock_ro() ignored a set_memory_ro() failure, so a program could be accepted while its interpreter instructions and function pointer remained writable. An unprivileged process can reach the path through BPF-loading syscalls and induce allocation failure with memory pressure, enabling kernel memory reads, writes, arbitrary calls, or a crash.
Summary
What happened
Memory-protection failure in the Linux kernel allows local users to gain kernel privileges through interpreted BPF programs. bpf_prog_lock_ro() ignored a set_memory_ro() failure, so a program could be accepted while its interpreter instructions and function pointer remained writable. An unprivileged process can reach the path through BPF-loading syscalls and induce allocation failure with memory pressure, enabling kernel memory reads, writes, arbitrary calls, or a crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-42068
- Published
- Jul 29, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jul 29, 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=3.18
- Affected versionversion=60a3b2253c413cf601783b070507d7dd6620c954 <05412471beba313ecded95aa17b25fe84bb2551a
- Affected versionversion=60a3b2253c413cf601783b070507d7dd6620c954 <7d2cc63eca0c993c99d18893214abf8f85d566d8
- Affected versionversion=60a3b2253c413cf601783b070507d7dd6620c954 <a359696856ca9409fb97655c5a8ef0f549cb6e03
- Affected versionversion=60a3b2253c413cf601783b070507d7dd6620c954 <e4f602e3ff749ba770bf8ff10196e18358de6720
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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