CVE-2024-43897: net: drop bad gso csum_start and offset in virtio_net_hdr
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net: drop bad gso csum_start and offset in virtio_net_hdr
Tighten csum_start and csum_offset checks in virtio_net_hdr_to_skb
for GSO packets.
The function already checks that a checksum requested with
VIRTIO_NET_HDR_F_NEEDS_CSUM is in skb linear. But for GSO packets
this might not hold for segs after segmentation.
Syzkaller demonstrated to reach this warning in skb_checksum_help
offset = skb_checksum_start_offset(skb);
ret = -EINVAL;
if (WARN_ON_ONCE(offset >= skb_headlen(skb)))
By injecting a TSO packet:
WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 3539 at net/core/dev.c:3284 skb_checksum_help+0x3d0/0x5b0
ip_do_fragment+0x209/0x1b20 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:774
ip_finish_output_gso net/ipv4/ip_output.c:279 [inline]
__ip_finish_output+0x2bd/0x4b0 net/ipv4/ip_output.c:301
iptunnel_xmit+0x50c/0x930 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel_core.c:82
ip_tunnel_xmit+0x2296/0x2c70 net/ipv4/ip_tunnel.c:813
__gre_xmit net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:469 [inline]
ipgre_xmit+0x759/0xa60 net/ipv4/ip_gre.c:661
__netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4850 [inline]
netdev_start_xmit include/linux/netdevice.h:4864 [inline]
xmit_one net/core/dev.c:3595 [inline]
dev_hard_start_xmit+0x261/0x8c0 net/core/dev.c:3611
__dev_queue_xmit+0x1b97/0x3c90 net/core/dev.c:4261
packet_snd net/packet/af_packet.c:3073 [inline]
The geometry of the bad input packet at tcp_gso_segment:
[ 52.003050][ T8403] skb len=12202 headroom=244 headlen=12093 tailroom=0
[ 52.003050][ T8403] mac=(168,24) mac_len=24 net=(192,52) trans=244
[ 52.003050][ T8403] shinfo(txflags=0 nr_frags=1 gso(size=1552 type=3 segs=0))
[ 52.003050][ T8403] csum(0x60000c7 start=199 offset=1536
ip_summed=3 complete_sw=0 valid=0 level=0)
Mitigate with stricter input validation.
csum_offset: for GSO packets, deduce the correct value from gso_type.
This is already done for USO. Extend it to TSO. Let UFO be:
udp[46]_ufo_fragment ignores these fields and always computes the
checksum in software.
csum_start: finding the real offset requires parsing to the transport
header. Do not add a parser, use existing segmentation parsing. Thanks
to SKB_GSO_DODGY, that also catches bad packets that are hw offloaded.
Again test both TSO and USO. Do not test UFO for the above reason, and
do not test UDP tunnel offload.
GSO packet are almost always CHECKSUM_PARTIAL. USO packets may be
CHECKSUM_NONE since commit 10154dbded6d6 ("udp: Allow GSO transmit
from devices with no checksum offload"), but then still these fields
are initialized correctly in udp4_hwcsum/udp6_hwcsum_outgoing. So no
need to test for ip_summed == CHECKSUM_PARTIAL first.
This revises an existing fix mentioned in the Fixes tag, which broke
small packets with GSO offload, as detected by kselftests.
Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
CVE-2024-43897 is a Linux kernel networking bug involving malformed virtio network packet metadata for GSO packets. The public record shows it was found by Syzkaller and fixed by stricter input validation. Business urgency depends on whether exposed systems run affected kernel builds and use these networking paths. No source provided indicates active exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a routine-to-priority kernel maintenance item, higher for multi-tenant virtualization or network-heavy Linux platforms. No public source here shows active exploitation, but kernel networking bugs can affect availability and platform trust if left unpatched.
Technical view
The fix tightens csum_start and csum_offset validation in virtio_net_hdr_to_skb for GSO packets. Bad TSO input could reach a WARN_ON_ONCE in skb_checksum_help during later segmentation/output processing. Stable kernel commits and Debian LTS advisories are referenced. The source does not provide CVSS, CWE, or a complete impact statement.
Likely exposure
Likely relevant to Linux systems running affected kernel builds where virtio_net_hdr/GSO packet handling is reachable. Virtualized or packet-processing environments may warrant closer review. Exposure cannot be confirmed from the CVE alone; compare deployed kernels with upstream stable fixes and distribution advisories.
Exploitation context
The record describes Syzkaller-generated malformed TSO packet input reaching a kernel warning. There is no KEV listing and no cited source states in-the-wild exploitation. Public evidence supports a robustness/input-validation issue, not a confirmed weaponized exploit campaign.
Researcher notes
The fix deduces csum_offset from gso_type for TSO/USO and uses existing segmentation parsing with SKB_GSO_DODGY for csum_start validation. UFO and UDP tunnel offload are explicitly treated differently in the source description. Impact details remain incomplete in public metadata.
Mitigation direction
Update to a kernel containing the referenced stable fixes.
For Debian LTS systems, review and apply the cited Debian advisory updates.
If vendor kernels are used, follow the distribution vendor’s CVE guidance.
Prioritize internet-facing or multi-tenant Linux networking hosts for review.
Validation and detection
Inventory Linux kernel versions across servers, appliances, and images.
Map each build to vendor advisories or upstream fixed stable releases.
Confirm the relevant stable commit is present in custom kernels.
Review logs for kernel networking warnings, but do not rely on logs for exposure.
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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CVE-2024-43897 mapping review
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