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CVE Record

CVE-2024-38613: m68k: Fix spinlock race in kernel thread creation

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: m68k: Fix spinlock race in kernel thread creation Context switching does take care to retain the correct lock owner across the switch from 'prev' to 'next' tasks. This does rely on interrupts remaining disabled for the entire duration of the switch. This condition is guaranteed for normal process creation and context switching between already running processes, because both 'prev' and 'next' already have interrupts disabled in their saved copies of the status register. The situation is different for newly created kernel threads. The status register is set to PS_S in copy_thread(), which does leave the IPL at 0. Upon restoring the 'next' thread's status register in switch_to() aka resume(), interrupts then become enabled prematurely. resume() then returns via ret_from_kernel_thread() and schedule_tail() where run queue lock is released (see finish_task_switch() and finish_lock_switch()). A timer interrupt calling scheduler_tick() before the lock is released in finish_task_switch() will find the lock already taken, with the current task as lock owner. This causes a spinlock recursion warning as reported by Guenter Roeck. As far as I can ascertain, this race has been opened in commit 533e6903bea0 ("m68k: split ret_from_fork(), simplify kernel_thread()") but I haven't done a detailed study of kernel history so it may well predate that commit. Interrupts cannot be disabled in the saved status register copy for kernel threads (init will complain about interrupts disabled when finally starting user space). Disable interrupts temporarily when switching the tasks' register sets in resume(). Note that a simple oriw 0x700,%sr after restoring sr is not enough here - this leaves enough of a race for the 'spinlock recursion' warning to still be observed. Tested on ARAnyM and qemu (Quadra 800 emulation).

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
Glexia's TakeAutomated analysismoderate

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2024-38613 is a Linux kernel issue limited to the m68k architecture. A race during new kernel thread startup can enable interrupts too early and trigger a scheduler spinlock recursion warning. The practical impact appears to be reliability-related, not remote compromise, based on available sources.

Executive priority

Prioritize for niche m68k environments and emulation platforms where kernel stability matters. For most enterprise Linux fleets on non-m68k architectures, this should be tracked but is unlikely to be urgent.

Technical view

On m68k, resume()/switch_to() could restore a new kernel thread status register with IPL 0 before the runqueue lock was released. A timer interrupt reaching scheduler_tick() during this window could see the current task as lock owner and report spinlock recursion. Stable kernel commits temporarily disable interrupts while switching register sets.

Likely exposure

Exposure is likely limited to Linux systems running on m68k hardware or m68k emulation. Typical x86, x86_64, and ARM Linux deployments are not indicated as affected by the provided sources.

Exploitation context

No active exploitation is reported in the provided sources, and the CVE is not marked KEV. The described trigger is a timing race in kernel scheduling, observed through warnings during testing, not a documented attacker workflow.

Researcher notes

The CVE record lacks CVSS and CWE data. Affected-version representation is incomplete in the provided bundle, so use upstream stable commits and vendor backports as the authoritative remediation signal.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory any Linux m68k systems or m68k emulators.
  • Update to a vendor kernel containing the linked stable fixes.
  • If using custom kernels, confirm the m68k resume() fix is backported.
  • Monitor vendor advisories for distribution-specific fixed versions.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm system architecture is m68k before prioritizing remediation.
  • Check kernel version and vendor changelog for CVE-2024-38613.
  • Verify the relevant stable commit is present in source builds.
  • Review kernel logs for spinlock recursion warnings on m68k systems.
Prepared
Confidence
high
Sources
11

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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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
Unknown
CVSS
Not scored
Known Exploited
No
Published
Official CVE source material

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.

0CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
10Source links

SSVC decision data

CISA-ADPCISA Coordinator
Timestamp
Version
2.0.3
Exploitation: noneAutomatable: noTechnical Impact: partial

Vulnerability timeline

Timeline events are normalized from CVE metadata, CNA source timelines, ADP timelines, and KEV metadata when present.

  1. CVE reservedCVE Program

    The CVE ID was reserved by the assigning CNA.

  2. CVE publishedCVE Program

    The CVE record was published.

  3. CVE updatedCVE Program

    The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.

ADP provider summaries

CVECVE Program Container
CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917, 533e6903bea0440816a0f517b0845ccea4cc7917unaffected
LinuxLinux3.7, 0, 4.19.316, 5.4.278, 5.10.219, 5.15.161, 6.1.93, 6.6.33, 6.8.12, 6.9.3, 6.10affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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