Kernel crash via unlocked SMC connection cleanup
Published Dec 27, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel SMC networking code allows local users to crash the kernel by racing server-side connection cleanup. The smc_listen_work path can call smc_conn_free without the socket lock while another connection operation performs the same cleanup, repeatedly decrementing LGR and link reference counts until freed resources remain reachable. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an SMC server-side race; the observed consequence is a kernel warning or panic that interrupts the host.
Summary
What happened
Use-after-free in the Linux kernel SMC networking code allows local users to crash the kernel by racing server-side connection cleanup. The smc_listen_work path can call smc_conn_free without the socket lock while another connection operation performs the same cleanup, repeatedly decrementing LGR and link reference counts until freed resources remain reachable. Exploitation requires low-privileged local access and an SMC server-side race; the observed consequence is a kernel warning or panic that interrupts the host.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56640
- Published
- Dec 27, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-416, T1499.004
- 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=3b2dec2603d5b06ad3af71c1164ca0b92df3d2a8 <0cf598548a6c36d90681d53c6b77d52363f2f295
- Affected versionversion=3b2dec2603d5b06ad3af71c1164ca0b92df3d2a8 <2c7f14ed9c19ec0f149479d1c2842ec1f9bf76d7
- Affected versionversion=3b2dec2603d5b06ad3af71c1164ca0b92df3d2a8 <673d606683ac70bc074ca6676b938bff18635226
- Affected versionversion=3b2dec2603d5b06ad3af71c1164ca0b92df3d2a8 <6f0ae06a234a78ae137064f2c89135ac078a00eb
- Affected versionversion=3b2dec2603d5b06ad3af71c1164ca0b92df3d2a8 <f502a88fdd415647a1f2dc45fac71b9c522a052b
- Affected versionversion=4.18
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.
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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