CVE-2024-38618: In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: timer: Set lower bound of start tick time Currently ALSA timer doesn't hav...

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: timer: Set lower bound of start tick time Currently ALSA timer doesn't have the lower limit of the start tick time, and it allows a very small size, e.g. 1 tick with 1ns resolution for hrtimer. Such a situation may lead to an unexpected RCU stall, where the callback repeatedly queuing the expire update, as reported by fuzzer. This patch introduces a sanity check of the timer start tick time, so that the system returns an error when a too small start size is set. As of this patch, the lower limit is hard-coded to 100us, which is small enough but can still work somehow.

Metrics

CVSS 3.1

5.5/10

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

EPSS Probability

0.64%

46.1th percentile

Probability of exploitation in the next 30 days. Learn more

Affected Software

Vendor	Product	Versions
Linux	Linux Kernel	< 4.19.316
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 4.20, < 5.4.278
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.5, < 5.10.219
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.11, < 5.15.161
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 5.16, < 6.1.93
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.2, < 6.6.33
Linux	Linux Kernel	>= 6.7, < 6.9.3

References

Timeline

Published: Jun 19, 2024
Last Modified: Jun 17, 2026
Status: Modified

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-38618?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: ALSA: timer: Set lower bound of start tick time Currently ALSA timer doesn't have the lower limit of the start tick time, and it allows a very small size, e.g. 1 tick with 1ns resolution for hrtimer. Such a situation may lead to an unexpected RCU stall, where the callback repeatedly queuing the expire update, as reported by fuzzer. This patch introduces a sanity check of the timer start tick time, so that the system returns an error when a too small start size is set. As of this patch, the lower limit is hard-coded to 100us, which is small enough but can still work somehow.

How severe is CVE-2024-38618?

CVE-2024-38618 has a CVSS score of 5.5/10 (MEDIUM severity). The EPSS model estimates a 0.64% probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

How do I fix CVE-2024-38618?

Check the vendor references and advisories linked above for patched versions and mitigation guidance. You can also run a Strix scan to test if your systems are affected.