Kernel warning via unbalanced SMT state counter
Published Sep 4, 2024 · Updated May 23, 2026
Scheduler state corruption in affected Linux kernel releases allows local users to trigger a kernel warning during CPU offlining. sched_cpu_deactivate() decrements sched_smt_present before cpuset_cpu_inactive() can fail, but the error path originally returned without restoring the counter. A failed cpuset CPU-inactivation step leaves the count unbalanced; the ensuing warning can panic hosts configured with panic_on_warn.
Summary
What happened
Scheduler state corruption in affected Linux kernel releases allows local users to trigger a kernel warning during CPU offlining. sched_cpu_deactivate() decrements sched_smt_present before cpuset_cpu_inactive() can fail, but the error path originally returned without restoring the counter. A failed cpuset CPU-inactivation step leaves the count unbalanced; the ensuing warning can panic hosts configured with panic_on_warn.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-44958
- Published
- Sep 4, 2024
- Updated
- May 23, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Sep 4, 2024CVE publishedPublication date reported by the CVE source.
- May 23, 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=01659361c63fdc91c0af239d08cdd211d590a656
- Affected versionversion=4.14.86 <4.15
- Affected versionversion=4.19.7 <4.20
- Affected versionversion=4.20
- Affected versionversion=a2c094816f894b7a265851fad858e994fa0f78b3
- Affected versionversion=c5511d03ec090980732e929c318a7a6374b5550e <2a3548c7ef2e135aee40e7e5e44e7d11b893e7c4
- Affected versionversion=c5511d03ec090980732e929c318a7a6374b5550e <2cf7665efe451e48d27953e6b5bc627d518c902b
- Affected versionversion=c5511d03ec090980732e929c318a7a6374b5550e <65727331b60197b742089855ac09464c22b96f66
- Affected versionversion=c5511d03ec090980732e929c318a7a6374b5550e <d0c87a3c6be10a57aa3463c32c3fc6b2a47c3dab
- Affected versionversion=c5511d03ec090980732e929c318a7a6374b5550e <e22f910a26cc2a3ac9c66b8e935ef2a7dd881117
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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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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