CVE-2024-39480: kdb: Fix buffer overflow during tab-complete

Severity: high (CVSS 7.8 v3.1)
Exploited in the wild: not listed in CISA KEV
EPSS: 0.3% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days
Public exploit or detection template: none known
Published: 2024-07-05 · updated 2026-08-04
Weakness: CWE-120

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: kdb: Fix buffer overflow during tab-complete Currently, when the user attempts symbol completion with the Tab key, kdb will use strncpy() to insert the completed symbol into the command buffer. Unfortunately it passes the size of the source buffer rather than the destination to strncpy() with predictably horrible results. Most obviously if the command buffer is already full but cp, the cursor position, is in the middle of the buffer, then we will write past the end of the supplied buffer. Fix this by replacing the dubious strncpy() calls with memmove()/memcpy() calls plus explicit boundary checks to make sure we have enough space before we start moving characters around.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 4.19 before 4.19.316; from 5.4 before 5.4.278; from 5.10 before 5.10.219; from 5.15 before 5.15.161; from 6.1 before 6.1.94; from 6.6 before 6.6.34 — fixed in 4.19.316, 5.10.219, 5.15.161, 5.4.278, 6.1.94, 6.6.34

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 4.19.316, 5.10.219, 5.15.161, 5.4.278. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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