Local privilege escalation via stale UBIFS cparent
Published Dec 27, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in Linux allows local users to gain kernel privileges through crafted file operations on authenticated UBIFS volumes. After a TNC split and collapse, a root znode retains a freed cparent, causing ubifs_copy_hash to copy 32 bytes into reclaimed kernel memory. Exploitation requires CONFIG_UBIFS_FS_AUTHENTICATION, a mounted authenticated UBIFS volume, and write access; consequences include privilege escalation, kernel crashes, and a read-only filesystem.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in Linux allows local users to gain kernel privileges through crafted file operations on authenticated UBIFS volumes. After a TNC split and collapse, a root znode retains a freed cparent, causing ubifs_copy_hash to copy 32 bytes into reclaimed kernel memory. Exploitation requires CONFIG_UBIFS_FS_AUTHENTICATION, a mounted authenticated UBIFS volume, and write access; consequences include privilege escalation, kernel crashes, and a read-only filesystem.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-53171
- Published
- Dec 27, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1068
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 27, 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?
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- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <01d3a2293d7e4edfff96618c15727db7e51f11b6
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <2497479aecebe869d23a0064e0fd1a03e34f0e2a
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <398a91599d263e41c5f95a2fd4ebdb6280b5c6c3
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <4617fb8fc15effe8eda4dd898d4e33eb537a7140
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <4d9807048b851d7a58d5bd089c16254af896e4df
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <74981f7577d183acad1cd58f74c10d263711a215
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <8d8b3f5f4cbfbf6cb0ea4a4d5dc296872b4151eb
- Affected versionversion=16a26b20d2afd0cf063816725b45b12e78d5bb31 <daac4aa1825de0dbc1a6eede2fa7f9fc53f14223
- Affected versionversion=4.20
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Public exploit references
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Technologies
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