Host hang via IDLETIMER lock-order inversion
Published Jan 11, 2025 · Updated May 11, 2026
A deadlock in Linux kernel netfilter IDLETIMER allows local users to hang the host by racing rule deletion against a sysfs read. The IDLETIMER teardown path holds list_mutex while removing the timer's sysfs entry, reversing the kernfs lock order taken by a concurrent read. The race requires permission to add and delete IDLETIMER rules while another task reads the timer file, and its bounded consequence is a host hang.
Summary
What happened
A deadlock in Linux kernel netfilter IDLETIMER allows local users to hang the host by racing rule deletion against a sysfs read. The IDLETIMER teardown path holds list_mutex while removing the timer's sysfs entry, reversing the kernfs lock order taken by a concurrent read. The race requires permission to add and delete IDLETIMER rules while another task reads the timer file, and its bounded consequence is a host hang.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-54683
- Published
- Jan 11, 2025
- Updated
- May 11, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-667, T1499
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Jan 11, 2025CVE 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
Compare your product and version with the public record. A matching version still requires validation against your environment.
Is a vulnerable build present?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0902b469bd25065aa0688c3cee6f11744c817e7c <45fe76573a2557f632e248cc141342233f422b9a
- Affected versionversion=0902b469bd25065aa0688c3cee6f11744c817e7c <8c2c8445cda8f59c38dec7dc10509bcb23ae26a0
- Affected versionversion=0902b469bd25065aa0688c3cee6f11744c817e7c <f36b01994d68ffc253c8296e2228dfe6e6431c03
- Affected versionversion=2.6.36
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Attacks
What attackers are doing with it
Daily unique IPs observed by Shadowserver honeypots for known exploited vulnerabilities (KEVs). Missing observations do not establish an absence of attacks.
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
Labels summarize the accepted research assessment. They do not indicate a test against your environment.
Technologies
Your stack
See the directory against your own environment.
Your stack
Check the software in your environment
Book a demo to see how Hinoki identifies affected software and validates exploitability in your environment.
Book a demo