// For flags

CVE-2024-53142

initramfs: avoid filename buffer overrun

Severity Score

"-"
*CVSS v-

Exploit Likelihood

*EPSS

Affected Versions

*CPE

Public Exploits

0
*Multiple Sources

Exploited in Wild

-
*KEV

Decision

-
*SSVC
Descriptions

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

initramfs: avoid filename buffer overrun

The initramfs filename field is defined in
Documentation/driver-api/early-userspace/buffer-format.rst as:

37 cpio_file := ALGN(4) + cpio_header + filename + "\0" + ALGN(4) + data
...
55 ============= ================== =========================
56 Field name Field size Meaning
57 ============= ================== =========================
...
70 c_namesize 8 bytes Length of filename, including final \0

When extracting an initramfs cpio archive, the kernel's do_name() path
handler assumes a zero-terminated path at @collected, passing it
directly to filp_open() / init_mkdir() / init_mknod().

If a specially crafted cpio entry carries a non-zero-terminated filename
and is followed by uninitialized memory, then a file may be created with
trailing characters that represent the uninitialized memory. The ability
to create an initramfs entry would imply already having full control of
the system, so the buffer overrun shouldn't be considered a security
vulnerability.

Append the output of the following bash script to an existing initramfs
and observe any created /initramfs_test_fname_overrunAA* path. E.g.
./reproducer.sh | gzip >> /myinitramfs

It's easiest to observe non-zero uninitialized memory when the output is
gzipped, as it'll overflow the heap allocated @out_buf in __gunzip(),
rather than the initrd_start+initrd_size block.

---- reproducer.sh ----
nilchar="A" # change to "\0" to properly zero terminate / pad
magic="070701"
ino=1
mode=$(( 0100777 ))
uid=0
gid=0
nlink=1
mtime=1
filesize=0
devmajor=0
devminor=1
rdevmajor=0
rdevminor=0
csum=0
fname="initramfs_test_fname_overrun"
namelen=$(( ${#fname} + 1 )) # plus one to account for terminator

printf "%s%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%08x%s" \n $magic $ino $mode $uid $gid $nlink $mtime $filesize \n $devmajor $devminor $rdevmajor $rdevminor $namelen $csum $fname

termpadlen=$(( 1 + ((4 - ((110 + $namelen) & 3)) % 4) ))
printf "%.s${nilchar}" $(seq 1 $termpadlen)
---- reproducer.sh ----

Symlink filename fields handled in do_symlink() won't overrun past the
data segment, due to the explicit zero-termination of the symlink
target.

Fix filename buffer overrun by aborting the initramfs FSM if any cpio
entry doesn't carry a zero-terminator at the expected (name_len - 1)
offset.

*Credits: N/A
CVSS Scores
Attack Vector
-
Attack Complexity
-
Privileges Required
-
User Interaction
-
Scope
-
Confidentiality
-
Integrity
-
Availability
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* Common Vulnerability Scoring System
SSVC
  • Decision:-
Exploitation
-
Automatable
-
Tech. Impact
-
* Organization's Worst-case Scenario
Timeline
  • 2024-11-19 CVE Reserved
  • 2024-12-06 CVE Published
  • 2024-12-17 EPSS Updated
  • 2024-12-19 CVE Updated
  • ---------- Exploited in Wild
  • ---------- KEV Due Date
  • ---------- First Exploit
CWE
CAPEC
Affected Vendors, Products, and Versions
Vendor Product Version Other Status
Vendor Product Version Other Status <-- --> Vendor Product Version Other Status
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 4.19.325
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 4.19.325"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 5.4.287
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 5.4.287"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 5.10.231
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 5.10.231"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 5.15.174
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 5.15.174"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 6.1.120
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 6.1.120"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 6.6.64
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 6.6.64"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 6.11.11
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 6.11.11"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 6.12.2
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 6.12.2"
en
Affected
Linux
Search vendor "Linux"
Linux Kernel
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel"
>= 2.6.12 < 6.13-rc1
Search vendor "Linux" for product "Linux Kernel" and version " >= 2.6.12 < 6.13-rc1"
en
Affected