Kernel memory corruption via SK_MSG pop handling
Published Dec 29, 2024 · Updated Aug 5, 2026
Memory corruption in the Linux kernel allows local users to read or overwrite kernel memory through crafted SK_MSG socket data. In bpf_msg_pop_data, sk_msg_shift_left mishandles scatterlist iteration and page references, while incorrect length arithmetic drives out-of-bounds memcpy operations and stale page pointers. Reachability requires a locally loaded BPF_PROG_TYPE_SK_MSG program attached to a sockmap, CAP_BPF and CAP_NET_ADMIN, and a triggering sendmsg; consequences include kernel-memory disclosure, heap corruption, page leaks, use-after-free, and a kernel panic.
Summary
What happened
Memory corruption in the Linux kernel allows local users to read or overwrite kernel memory through crafted SK_MSG socket data. In bpf_msg_pop_data, sk_msg_shift_left mishandles scatterlist iteration and page references, while incorrect length arithmetic drives out-of-bounds memcpy operations and stale page pointers. Reachability requires a locally loaded BPF_PROG_TYPE_SK_MSG program attached to a sockmap, CAP_BPF and CAP_NET_ADMIN, and a triggering sendmsg; consequences include kernel-memory disclosure, heap corruption, page leaks, use-after-free, and a kernel panic.
The record
- CVE
- CVE-2024-56720
- Published
- Dec 29, 2024
- Updated
- Aug 5, 2026
- Vendor
- The Linux Kernel Organization
- Product
- Linux
- Classifications
- CWE-193, CWE-401
- Attack vector
- local
- Privileges
- authenticated
Timeline
How it unfolded
- Dec 29, 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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- Affected versionversion=5.0
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <275a9f3ef8fabb0cb282a62b9e164dedba7284c5
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <5d609ba262475db450ba69b8e8a557bd768ac07a
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <785180bed9879680d8e5c5e1b54c8ae8d948f4c8
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <98c7ea7d11f2588e8197db042e0291e4ac8f8346
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <d26d977633d1d0b8bf9407278189bd0a8d973323
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <d3f5763b3062514a234114e97bbde74d8d702449
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <e1f54c61c4c9a5244eb8159dce60d248f7d97b32
- Affected versionversion=7246d8ed4dcce23f7509949a77be15fa9f0e3d28 <f58d3aa457e77a3d9b3df2ab081dcf9950f6029f
What conditions does exploitation require?
What is affected?
Published CVSS scores
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Attacks
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Weakness, pattern, technique
Public exploit references
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Technologies
Your stack
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