Real-time kernel interruption via sleeping ring-buffer lock
Published Nov 5, 2024 · Updated May 11, 2026
Denial of service in the BPF ring buffer in Linux allows local users to interrupt real-time kernels through tracepoint-triggered reservations. The __bpf_ringbuf_reserve function acquires a spinlock_t after a tracepoint disables preemption, so PREEMPT_RT can sleep in atomic context. Reachability requires local low-privileged access, a PREEMPT_RT kernel, and a BPF ring-buffer reservation from a tracepoint; confidentiality and integrity are unaffected.
Summary
What happened
Denial of service in the BPF ring buffer in Linux allows local users to interrupt real-time kernels through tracepoint-triggered reservations. The __bpf_ringbuf_reserve function acquires a spinlock_t after a tracepoint disables preemption, so PREEMPT_RT can sleep in atomic context. Reachability requires local low-privileged access, a PREEMPT_RT kernel, and a BPF ring-buffer reservation from a tracepoint; confidentiality and integrity are unaffected.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-50138
- Published
- Nov 5, 2024
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Nov 5, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=457f44363a8894135c85b7a9afd2bd8196db24ab <5eb34999d118e69a20dc0c6556f315fcb0a1f8d3
- Affected versionversion=457f44363a8894135c85b7a9afd2bd8196db24ab <8b62645b09f870d70c7910e7550289d444239a46
- Affected versionversion=457f44363a8894135c85b7a9afd2bd8196db24ab <ca30e682e5d6de44d12c4610767811c9a21d59ba
- Affected versionversion=457f44363a8894135c85b7a9afd2bd8196db24ab <f9543375d9b150b2bcf16bb182e6b62309db0888
- Affected versionversion=5.8
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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