Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-36971 is a Linux kernel use-after-free flaw in networking code. A local user with low privileges could potentially gain high-impact control over confidentiality, integrity, or availability. CISA lists it in KEV, so exploitation is supported by a government source. Treat affected Linux systems as urgent, especially shared servers and container hosts.
Executive priority
Prioritize remediation this cycle for affected Linux systems. The issue requires local access, but KEV status raises urgency because exploitation is confirmed by CISA. Focus first on shared infrastructure where one compromised account or workload could threaten the host kernel.
Technical view
The bug is an RCU ordering race in __dst_negative_advice() when clearing sk->sk_dst_cache. The vulnerable path releases the old dst before correctly clearing the socket cache, creating a possible use-after-free. The CVE notes the issue became visible with UDP sockets and is fixed by upstream Linux stable commits across branches.
Likely exposure
Exposure is local rather than network-direct: attackers need some local execution context. Highest concern is multi-user Linux, CI runners, shared hosting, container hosts, and systems where untrusted workloads run on the same kernel. Exact package exposure depends on the distribution kernel build and backport status.
Exploitation context
Active exploitation is supported because CISA KEV lists CVE-2024-36971. The provided sources do not include public exploit details, observed targets, or exploitation mechanics. CVSS is 7.8 with local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges, no user interaction, and high CIA impact.
Researcher notes
Do not assume every listed upstream version maps directly to distribution exposure; vendors may backport fixes without changing major kernel versions. Validate by package advisory, changelog, or kernel commit status. The public bundle identifies upstream stable commits and Debian LTS notice but does not provide exploit telemetry beyond KEV.
Mitigation direction
- Apply distribution kernel updates that include the upstream stable fixes.
- Reboot systems so the patched kernel is actually running.
- Use vendor advisories to confirm exact package and branch status.
- Prioritize shared Linux hosts, container platforms, and CI runners.
- Where patching is delayed, restrict untrusted local accounts and workloads.
Validation and detection
- Inventory running kernel versions across Linux servers and hosts.
- Confirm installed packages include a fix for CVE-2024-36971.
- Verify the active kernel after reboot, not only the installed package.
- Check Debian LTS or distribution-specific advisories where applicable.
- Track CISA KEV status in vulnerability management reporting.
Public sources used
Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.
Conservative CVE-to-ATT&CK context
These mappings and lookup hints may be relevant to the vulnerability behavior, CWE, affected product, or exposure path. Glexia-inferred context is not an official MITRE, ATT&CK, CWE, or CVE Program mapping.
ATT&CK lookup starting points
Use these exact CWE pages and searches to review the Glexia ATT&CK library from this CVE's weakness and description context.
CWE-416: Exact CWE lookup
Use the exact CWE identifier as the starting point before reviewing related ATT&CK behavior. Open the exact CWE lookup page first, then review the ATT&CK searches from that MITRE weakness context. This is a Glexia lookup hint, not an official ATT&CK mapping.
Open ATT&CK lookupCVE-2024-36971 mapping review
Open the CVE-to-ATT&CK bridge for reviewed, inferred, or future official mappings tied to this CVE.
Open ATT&CK lookup- Severity
- High
- CVSS
- 7.8 (3.1)
- Known Exploited
- Yes
- Published
Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
CNA and ADP enrichment extracted from CVE v5
These fields come from the CVE record and ADP containers, not from Glexia's Take. They preserve time-varying source decisions such as CISA SSVC, KEV status, CVSS metrics, and provider references.
CISA KEV status
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
1 official scoreWe collect every scored CVSS vector available in the official CNA and ADP containers. When more than one version is present, the table keeps the source vectors side by side instead of collapsing them into the highest score.
CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H1.85.9CISA-ADPVulnerability scoring details
Base CVSS 3.1 score
7.8HighVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Vulnerability timeline
Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.
- CVE reservedCVE Program
The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.
- CVE publishedCVE Program
The CVE record was published.
- Added to KEVCISA-ADP
CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities metadata lists this CVE as known exploited.
- ADP timelineCISA-ADP
CVE-2024-36971 added to CISA KEV
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
- 2024-08-07T00:00:00.000Z: CVE-2024-36971 added to CISA KEV
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/051c0bde9f0450a2ec3d62a86d2a0d2fad117f13CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/db0082825037794c5dba9959c9de13ca34cc5e72CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/2295a7ef5c8c49241bff769e7826ef2582e532a6CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/eacb8b195579c174a6d3e12a9690b206eb7f28cfCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/81dd3c82a456b0015461754be7cb2693991421b4CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5af198c387128a9d2ddd620b0f0803564a4d4508CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b8af8e6118a6605f0e495a58d591ca94a85a50fcCVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/92f1655aa2b2294d0b49925f3b875a634bd3b59eCVE reference, Linux
- https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00020.htmlCVE reference, CVE
- https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-36971CVE reference, CISA-ADP · government-resource
Products and packages named in the record
CWE details
CWE links open Glexia weakness intelligence pages with official CWE context, developer remediation guidance, and related CVE mappings.
Use After Free
Use After Free represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.