Kernel crash via ipset module-unload race
Published Dec 27, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Race condition in the Netfilter ipset subsystem in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel by racing a module unload. The type lookup path releases the Netfilter lock before requesting a backend module without retaining an ip_set module reference. Exploitation requires local privileges sufficient to unload kernel modules, and the bounded consequence is a system crash.
Summary
What happened
Race condition in the Netfilter ipset subsystem in Linux allows local users to crash the kernel by racing a module unload. The type lookup path releases the Netfilter lock before requesting a backend module without retaining an ip_set module reference. Exploitation requires local privileges sufficient to unload kernel modules, and the bounded consequence is a system crash.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56637
- Published
- Dec 27, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-362, T1499.004
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- admin
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=2.6.39
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <0e67805e805c1f3edd6f43adbe08ea14b552694b
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <456f010bfaefde84d3390c755eedb1b0a5857c3c
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <5bae60a933ba5d16eed55c6b279be51bcbbc79b0
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <6099b5d3e37145484fac4b8b4070c3f1abfb3519
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <90bf312a6b6b3d6012137f6776a4052ee85e0340
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <ba5e070f36682d07ca7ad2a953e6c9d96be19dca
- Affected versionversion=a7b4f989a629493bb4ec4a354def784d440b32c4 <e5e2d3024753fdaca818b822e3827614bacbdccf
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
CVSS describes severity. EPSS estimates exploitation probability.
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.
Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
No public exploit references are available in this record.
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Technologies
Your stack
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Your stack
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