CVE-2024-49983: ext4: drop ppath from ext4_ext_replay_update_ex() to avoid double-free

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: 2024-10-21 · updated 2026-08-04
Weakness: CWE-415

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ext4: drop ppath from ext4_ext_replay_update_ex() to avoid double-free When calling ext4_force_split_extent_at() in ext4_ext_replay_update_ex(), the 'ppath' is updated but it is the 'path' that is freed, thus potentially triggering a double-free in the following process: ext4_ext_replay_update_ex ppath = path ext4_force_split_extent_at(&ppath) ext4_split_extent_at ext4_ext_insert_extent ext4_ext_create_new_leaf ext4_ext_grow_indepth ext4_find_extent if (depth > path[0].p_maxdepth) kfree(path) ---> path First freed *orig_path = path = NULL ---> null ppath kfree(path) ---> path double-free !!! So drop the unnecessary ppath and use path directly to avoid this problem. And use ext4_find_extent() directly to update path, avoiding unnecessary memory allocation and freeing. Also, propagate the error returned by ext4_find_extent() instead of using strange error codes.

Affected products

Linux kernel: from 5.10 before 5.10.227; from 5.11 before 5.15.168; from 5.16 before 6.1.113; from 6.2 before 6.6.55; from 6.7 before 6.10.14; from 6.11 before 6.11.3 — fixed in 5.10.227, 5.15.168, 6.1.113, 6.10.14, 6.11.3, 6.6.55

How to fix

Upgrade to a fixed version: Linux kernel 5.10.227, 5.15.168, 6.1.113, 6.10.14. Check the vendor advisory for mitigations.

References

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