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CVE Record

CVE-2024-38634: serial: max3100: Lock port->lock when calling uart_handle_cts_change()

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: serial: max3100: Lock port->lock when calling uart_handle_cts_change() uart_handle_cts_change() has to be called with port lock taken, Since we run it in a separate work, the lock may not be taken at the time of running. Make sure that it's taken by explicitly doing that. Without it we got a splat: WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 10 at drivers/tty/serial/serial_core.c:3491 uart_handle_cts_change+0xa6/0xb0 ... Workqueue: max3100-0 max3100_work [max3100] RIP: 0010:uart_handle_cts_change+0xa6/0xb0 ... max3100_handlerx+0xc5/0x110 [max3100] max3100_work+0x12a/0x340 [max3100]

UnknownCVSS not scoredNot KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysisunknown

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

CVE-2024-38634 is a Linux kernel bug in the MAX3100 serial driver. A required port lock was missing before handling CTS state changes, causing kernel warning diagnostics. The public record does not provide CVSS, impact, or evidence of active exploitation, so business urgency depends mainly on whether affected systems use this serial driver.

Executive priority

Treat as targeted infrastructure hygiene unless MAX3100 serial hardware is present in business-critical systems. Patch through normal Linux kernel maintenance, escalating for embedded, industrial, or appliance fleets where serial drivers are used and kernel updates lag.

Technical view

The max3100 driver could call uart_handle_cts_change() from workqueue context without holding port->lock. The kernel fix explicitly takes the lock before the call. Sources show a warning in serial_core.c and stable kernel commits, but do not describe privilege escalation, code execution, or a remote attack path.

Likely exposure

Exposure is most likely on Linux systems using the MAX3100 serial driver or related hardware. General Linux servers may be unaffected if the driver is absent or unused. The CVE record lists affected Linux kernel versions, but downstream package status must be confirmed with each vendor.

Exploitation context

This CVE is not marked in CISA KEV, and the supplied sources do not claim exploitation in the wild. The available evidence describes a kernel locking correctness issue and warning trace, not a public exploit or weaponized attack chain.

Researcher notes

Evidence is limited to the CVE record, kernel stable references, and Debian LTS advisory. There is no CVSS, CWE, exploit claim, or detailed impact statement in the supplied bundle. The key research task is mapping stable commits to distro kernels and confirming driver reachability.

Mitigation direction

  • Update to a vendor-supported kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
  • Prioritize systems that load or depend on the max3100 serial driver.
  • Check Linux distribution advisories for backported fixes and package versions.
  • Avoid unsupported kernels where vendor fix status cannot be confirmed.

Validation and detection

  • Inventory hosts for kernel versions and MAX3100 serial driver usage.
  • Confirm installed kernel packages include the relevant stable fix or vendor backport.
  • Review kernel logs for max3100 or uart_handle_cts_change warnings.
  • Validate embedded or hardware-adjacent Linux images separately from servers.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
11

Public sources used

Generated from the cited source records. This long-tail analysis has not been individually reviewed by a named human.

Potential ATT&CK relevance

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

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CVE-2024-38634 mapping review

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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

CISA-ADPCISA ADP Vulnrichment
other:ssvc
CVECVE Program Container

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676, 7831d56b0a3544cbb6f82f76c34ca95e24d5b676unaffected
LinuxLinux2.6.30, 0, 4.19.316, 5.4.278, 5.10.219, 5.15.161, 6.1.93, 6.6.33, 6.9.4, 6.10affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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