Security readout for executives and security teams
Plain-English summary
A local, low-privileged user may reach an out-of-bounds condition in Linux kernel BPF type processing. The supplied CVSS assessment indicates possible loss of confidentiality, integrity, and availability, although the sources do not demonstrate successful compromise or real-world exploitation.
Executive priority
Treat as a high-priority local privilege risk on systems exposed to untrusted local users or workloads. It is not directly remote according to the supplied CVSS vector. Prioritize vendor-supported kernel updates, while avoiding emergency claims because active exploitation is not evidenced.
Technical view
btf_repeat_fields() failed to check the remaining info_cnt before duplicating BTF fields for arrays of nested structures. When ret multiplied by nelems exceeds BTF_FIELDS_MAX, btf_parse_fields() can access beyond the btf_field_info array. The cited kernel changes add the missing bounds check.
Likely exposure
Exposure is limited to affected Linux kernels where a low-privileged local actor can reach the BPF map-creation path. The bundle points to the Linux 6.11-era and 6.12 lines, but its flattened version metadata is ambiguous. Confirm distribution-specific backports rather than relying only on version strings.
Exploitation context
The CVSS vector requires local access, low privileges, no user interaction, and low complexity. The supplied record is not in KEV and provides no evidence of active exploitation or a public exploit. Its trace demonstrates an UBSAN-detected bounds violation during BPF testing, not successful security impact.
Researcher notes
The reported trigger involves repeated BTF fields for arrays of nested structures and an unchecked remaining info_cnt. The observable failure occurs in kernel/bpf/btf.c within btf_parse_fields(). CWE-129 and CVSS 7.8 are supplied. Whether the access is reliably exploitable beyond a diagnostic crash is not established by these sources.
Mitigation direction
- Install a vendor kernel update containing the cited bounds-check fix.
- Reboot systems into the updated kernel after installation.
- Check distribution guidance for backported fixes and affected package versions.
- If no update is available, follow vendor guidance; no alternative mitigation is identified in the sources.
Validation and detection
- Record each system's running kernel build, not only its installed package version.
- Confirm the distribution kernel includes either cited stable-kernel fix or an equivalent backport.
- Verify systems booted into the corrected kernel after maintenance.
- Review kernel diagnostics for btf_parse_fields array-index-out-of-bounds reports.
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-129: 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-2024-50161 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
- No
- 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.
SSVC decision data
CVSS vector scores
2 official scoresWe 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:H1.85.9LinuxCVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H1.83.6CISA-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
Base CVSS 3.1 score
5.5MediumVector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/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.
- CVE updatedCVE Program
The CVE record metadata indicates this as the latest update time.
ADP provider summaries
Source materials
- CVE List V5 sourceCVE List V5
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6f957d972feee9b385ea3ae6530310a84e55ba71CVE reference, Linux
- https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/797d73ee232dd1833dec4824bc53a22032e97c1cCVE reference, Linux
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.
Improper Validation of Array Index
Improper Validation of Array Index represents a recurring weakness pattern that can create exploitable paths when design, validation, or implementation controls are missing.