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CVE Record

CVE-2024-41066: ibmvnic: Add tx check to prevent skb leak

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ibmvnic: Add tx check to prevent skb leak Below is a summary of how the driver stores a reference to an skb during transmit: tx_buff[free_map[consumer_index]]->skb = new_skb; free_map[consumer_index] = IBMVNIC_INVALID_MAP; consumer_index ++; Where variable data looks like this: free_map == [4, IBMVNIC_INVALID_MAP, IBMVNIC_INVALID_MAP, 0, 3] consumer_index^ tx_buff == [skb=null, skb=<ptr>, skb=<ptr>, skb=null, skb=null] The driver has checks to ensure that free_map[consumer_index] pointed to a valid index but there was no check to ensure that this index pointed to an unused/null skb address. So, if, by some chance, our free_map and tx_buff lists become out of sync then we were previously risking an skb memory leak. This could then cause tcp congestion control to stop sending packets, eventually leading to ETIMEDOUT. Therefore, add a conditional to ensure that the skb address is null. If not then warn the user (because this is still a bug that should be patched) and free the old pointer to prevent memleak/tcp problems.

HighCVSS 7.5Not KEV-listedUpdated
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Glexia's TakeAutomated analysishigh

Security readout for executives and security teams

Plain-English summary

A bookkeeping error in Linux's ibmvnic network driver can leak network-packet memory when internal transmit lists become inconsistent. Continued leakage may stop TCP traffic and cause connection timeouts, disrupting availability. The issue matters only where the affected driver and an unpatched kernel build are in use.

Executive priority

Treat this as an expedited, targeted availability fix for systems using ibmvnic, especially network-critical services. Broad emergency action across all Linux systems is unsupported because exposure depends on the specific driver and kernel build. Complete driver inventory first, then patch confirmed systems through normal change controls.

Technical view

During transmission, ibmvnic trusted a free-map entry without confirming the corresponding transmit buffer held no existing socket buffer. If the structures diverged, a new reference could overwrite the old one, leaking memory and eventually stalling TCP congestion control. The stable fixes check for a non-null buffer, warn, and free the stale reference.

Likely exposure

Exposure is limited to Linux hosts actively using ibmvnic with an affected, unpatched kernel build. The record identifies affected versions and stable lines between 5.14 and 6.10, but distribution backports can change status. Confirm exact packages against distribution guidance rather than relying only on version numbers.

Exploitation context

CISA KEV status is false, and the supplied sources provide no evidence of active exploitation or a public exploit. They also do not establish that an unauthenticated remote party can reliably force the internal list inconsistency. The demonstrated security consequence is availability loss through memory leakage and TCP timeouts.

Researcher notes

The root condition is divergence between free_map and tx_buff state, followed by replacement of an occupied skb reference. The fix limits leakage consequences but warns because the state divergence remains an underlying bug condition. The supplied material does not identify the initiating cause, reliable attacker control, affected distributions comprehensively, or a CWE classification.

Mitigation direction

  • Inventory systems using the ibmvnic driver and identify their exact kernel packages.
  • Apply distribution-approved kernel updates containing the referenced fix or an equivalent backport.
  • Prioritize exposed, network-critical workloads where TCP stalls would cause significant business disruption.
  • If updates are unavailable, obtain vendor guidance; the supplied sources identify no temporary workaround.

Validation and detection

  • Confirm whether ibmvnic is present, loaded, and attached to an active network interface.
  • Compare each exact kernel build with its distribution advisory and backport status.
  • Verify the installed update contains the ibmvnic transmit-buffer check or corresponding stable fix.
  • Review kernel and network telemetry for ibmvnic warnings, transmit stalls, TCP timeouts, or unexplained memory growth.
  • After updating, retest sustained network traffic and confirm previous timeout symptoms do not recur.
Prepared
Confidence
medium
Sources
7

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

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CVE-2024-41066 mapping review

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Vulnerability profileCVE Program record
Severity
High
CVSS
7.5 (3.1)
Known Exploited
No
Published

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

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.

1CVSS vectors
3Timeline events
2ADP providers
6Source links

SSVC decision data

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

CVSS vector scores

1 official score

We 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.

ScoreVersionSeverityVectorExploitImpactSource
7.5CVSS 3.1HighCVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H3.93.6Linux

Vulnerability scoring details

Base CVSS 3.1 score

7.5High
CVSS 3.1 vector shape for CVE-2024-41066Attack VectorAttack ComplexityPrivileges RequiredUser InteractionScopeConfidentiality ImpactIntegrity ImpactAvailability Impact

Vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Attack Vector
NetworkAdjacentLocalPhysical
Attack Complexity
LowHigh
Privileges Required
NoneLowHigh
User Interaction
NoneRequired
Scope
ChangedUnchanged
Confidentiality Impact
HighLowNone
Integrity Impact
HighLowNone
Availability Impact
HighLowNone

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

Source materials

Affected products

Products and packages named in the record

VendorProductVersion / packageStatus
LinuxLinux65d6470d139a6c1655fccb5cbacbeaba8e8ad2f8, 65d6470d139a6c1655fccb5cbacbeaba8e8ad2f8, 65d6470d139a6c1655fccb5cbacbeaba8e8ad2f8, 65d6470d139a6c1655fccb5cbacbeaba8e8ad2f8, 1a64564eee05128f773930649edfdd50cbe80656, 5142c39253385702a4de8f897027e1d76fc333de, 5.12.17, 5.13.2unaffected
LinuxLinux5.14, 0, 6.1.101, 6.6.42, 6.9.11, 6.10affected
Weakness

CWE details

No CWE listed

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