Kernel memory corruption via dangling AF_CAN pointer
Published Dec 27, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in AF_CAN socket creation in affected Linux kernels beginning with 2.6.25 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory. On an error path, can_create frees a socket structure after sock_init_data has attached it to the caller's socket, leaving sock->sk dangling. A local low-privileged process must reach that creation failure; later use of the stale pointer can crash the kernel or enable kernel-context execution.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in AF_CAN socket creation in affected Linux kernels beginning with 2.6.25 allows local users to corrupt kernel memory. On an error path, can_create frees a socket structure after sock_init_data has attached it to the caller's socket, leaving sock->sk dangling. A local low-privileged process must reach that creation failure; later use of the stale pointer can crash the kernel or enable kernel-context execution.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56603
- 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?
Compare these published version ranges with your installed build and any vendor patches.
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <1fe625f12d090d69f3f084990c7e4c1ff94bfe5f
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <5947c9ac08f0771ea8ed64186b0d52e9029cb6c0
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <811a7ca7320c062e15d0f5b171fe6ad8592d1434
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <884ae8bcee749be43a071d6ed2d89058dbd2425c
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <8df832e6b945e1ba61467d7f1c9305e314ae92fe
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <ce39b5576785bb3e66591145aad03d66bc3e778d
- Affected versionversion=0d66548a10cbbe0ef256852d63d30603f0f73f9b <db207d19adbac96058685f6257720906ad41d215
- Affected versionversion=2.6.25
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
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Your stack
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