Local kernel crash via non-atomic folio pinning
Published Aug 8, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
Reachable assertion in the Linux kernel allows local users to crash the host kernel through a process_vm_readv system call. On non-SMP builds, the get-user-pages slow path calls try_grab_folio outside atomic context, causing folio_ref_try_add_rcu to enforce its atomic-context assertion. A local user able to invoke process_vm_readv while pinning a transparent huge page can halt the host; SMP kernels do not take the faulty optimized path.
Summary
What happened
Reachable assertion in the Linux kernel allows local users to crash the host kernel through a process_vm_readv system call. On non-SMP builds, the get-user-pages slow path calls try_grab_folio outside atomic context, causing folio_ref_try_add_rcu to enforce its atomic-context assertion. A local user able to invoke process_vm_readv while pinning a transparent huge page can halt the host; SMP kernels do not take the faulty optimized path.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-42251
- Published
- Aug 8, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-617, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Aug 8, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- 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.
- Affected versionversion=57edfcfd3419b4799353d8cbd6ce49da075cfdbd <16380f52b72166d6a33b508cc2509716f436253f
- Affected versionversion=57edfcfd3419b4799353d8cbd6ce49da075cfdbd <e7db2762ea3e69f215b3ec4db666006deccc37b4
- Affected versionversion=57edfcfd3419b4799353d8cbd6ce49da075cfdbd <fa2690af573dfefb47ba6eef888797a64b6b5f3c
- Affected versionversion=6.6
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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