CVE-2024-35877: x86/mm/pat: fix VM_PAT handling in COW mappings
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
x86/mm/pat: fix VM_PAT handling in COW mappings
PAT handling won't do the right thing in COW mappings: the first PTE (or,
in fact, all PTEs) can be replaced during write faults to point at anon
folios. Reliably recovering the correct PFN and cachemode using
follow_phys() from PTEs will not work in COW mappings.
Using follow_phys(), we might just get the address+protection of the anon
folio (which is very wrong), or fail on swap/nonswap entries, failing
follow_phys() and triggering a WARN_ON_ONCE() in untrack_pfn() and
track_pfn_copy(), not properly calling free_pfn_range().
In free_pfn_range(), we either wouldn't call memtype_free() or would call
it with the wrong range, possibly leaking memory.
To fix that, let's update follow_phys() to refuse returning anon folios,
and fallback to using the stored PFN inside vma->vm_pgoff for COW mappings
if we run into that.
We will now properly handle untrack_pfn() with COW mappings, where we
don't need the cachemode. We'll have to fail fork()->track_pfn_copy() if
the first page was replaced by an anon folio, though: we'd have to store
the cachemode in the VMA to make this work, likely growing the VMA size.
For now, lets keep it simple and let track_pfn_copy() just fail in that
case: it would have failed in the past with swap/nonswap entries already,
and it would have done the wrong thing with anon folios.
Simple reproducer to trigger the WARN_ON_ONCE() in untrack_pfn():
<--- C reproducer --->
#include <stdio.h>
#include <sys/mman.h>
#include <unistd.h>
#include <liburing.h>
int main(void)
{
struct io_uring_params p = {};
int ring_fd;
size_t size;
char *map;
ring_fd = io_uring_setup(1, &p);
if (ring_fd < 0) {
perror("io_uring_setup");
return 1;
}
size = p.sq_off.array + p.sq_entries * sizeof(unsigned);
/* Map the submission queue ring MAP_PRIVATE */
map = mmap(0, size, PROT_READ | PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE,
ring_fd, IORING_OFF_SQ_RING);
if (map == MAP_FAILED) {
perror("mmap");
return 1;
}
/* We have at least one page. Let's COW it. */
*map = 0;
pause();
return 0;
}
<--- C reproducer --->
On a system with 16 GiB RAM and swap configured:
# ./iouring &
# memhog 16G
# killall iouring
[ 301.552930] ------------[ cut here ]------------
[ 301.553285] WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 1402 at arch/x86/mm/pat/memtype.c:1060 untrack_pfn+0xf4/0x100
[ 301.553989] Modules linked in: binfmt_misc nft_fib_inet nft_fib_ipv4 nft_fib_ipv6 nft_fib nft_reject_g
[ 301.558232] CPU: 7 PID: 1402 Comm: iouring Not tainted 6.7.5-100.fc38.x86_64 #1
[ 301.558772] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.16.3-0-ga6ed6b701f0a-prebu4
[ 301.559569] RIP: 0010:untrack_pfn+0xf4/0x100
[ 301.559893] Code: 75 c4 eb cf 48 8b 43 10 8b a8 e8 00 00 00 3b 6b 28 74 b8 48 8b 7b 30 e8 ea 1a f7 000
[ 301.561189] RSP: 0018:ffffba2c0377fab8 EFLAGS: 00010282
[ 301.561590] RAX: 00000000ffffffea RBX: ffff9208c8ce9cc0 RCX: 000000010455e047
[ 301.562105] RDX: 07fffffff0eb1e0a RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff9208c391d200
[ 301.562628] RBP: 0000000000000000 R08: ffffba2c0377fab8 R09: 0000000000000000
[ 301.563145] R10: ffff9208d2292d50 R11: 0000000000000002 R12: 00007fea890e0000
[ 301.563669] R13: 0000000000000000 R14: ffffba2c0377fc08 R15: 0000000000000000
[ 301.564186] FS: 0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff920c2fbc0000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
[ 301.564773] CS: 0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
[ 301.565197] CR2: 00007fea88ee8a20 CR3: 00000001033a8000 CR4: 0000000000750ef0
[ 301.565725] PKRU: 55555554
[ 301.565944] Call Trace:
[ 301.566148] <TASK>
[ 301.566325] ? untrack_pfn+0xf4/0x100
[ 301.566618] ? __warn+0x81/0x130
[ 301.566876] ? untrack_pfn+0xf4/0x100
[ 3
---truncated---
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-35877 is a Linux kernel memory-management bug on x86 systems. Under copy-on-write mappings, the kernel could track the wrong physical page/cache attributes, trigger warnings, or free the wrong range, possibly leaking memory. The public sources do not provide CVSS, KEV exploitation, or a full impact rating.
Executive priority
Treat this as a kernel maintenance priority rather than an emergency based on current evidence. Patch during the next appropriate security window, faster for multi-user Linux systems or products where local code execution by less-trusted users is expected.
Technical view
The issue is in x86 PAT handling for COW VMAs. follow_phys() could return an anonymous folio or fail on swap-like entries, causing untrack_pfn() and track_pfn_copy() to mishandle PFN/cachemode state and free_pfn_range()/memtype_free() behavior. Stable kernel commits adjust follow_phys() behavior and fallback handling for COW mappings.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to affected Linux kernel versions on x86 where PAT-tracked mappings and COW behavior are reachable. Systems running distribution kernels may already have backported fixes, so confirm by vendor advisory or kernel package changelog rather than upstream version alone.
Exploitation context
The CVE source includes a local reproducer that triggers a kernel warning, but KEV is false and the provided sources do not report active exploitation. The evidence supports local triggerability and possible memory leak behavior, not remote exploitation or privilege escalation.
Researcher notes
The public record is unusually terse: no CVSS, CWE, or exploit-in-the-wild signal is supplied. The key behavior is incorrect PFN/cachemode recovery in COW mappings, with fixes spread across Linux stable commit references and downstream advisories.
Mitigation direction
Apply Linux kernel updates containing the referenced stable fixes.
Check Debian, vendor, and appliance advisories for backported kernel packages.
Prioritize shared systems where untrusted users can run local code.
Review Siemens guidance if affected Siemens products are in scope.
If no vendor fix is available, follow vendor mitigation guidance.
Validation and detection
Inventory x86 Linux hosts and kernel package versions.
Map installed kernels to vendor advisories or stable fix commits.
Confirm patched kernels are booted, not only installed.
Review logs for related untrack_pfn or PAT warnings.
Document exceptions where vendor status remains unclear.
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Potential ATT&CK relevance
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