CVE-2024-55881

5.5 · MEDIUM

Published Jan 11, 2025 linux EPSS 0.21% (11th pctl) CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Overview

CVE-2024-55881 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on January 11, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

Technical Description

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

KVM: x86: Play nice with protected guests in complete_hypercall_exit()

Use is_64_bit_hypercall() instead of is_64_bit_mode() to detect a 64-bit

hypercall when completing said hypercall. For guests with protected state,

e.g. SEV-ES and SEV-SNP, KVM must assume the hypercall was made in 64-bit

mode as the vCPU state needed to detect 64-bit mode is unavailable.

Hacking the sev_smoke_test selftest to generate a KVM_HC_MAP_GPA_RANGE

hypercall via VMGEXIT trips the WARN:

------------[ cut here ]------------

WARNING: CPU: 273 PID: 326626 at arch/x86/kvm/x86.h:180 complete_hypercall_exit+0x44/0xe0 [kvm]

Modules linked in: kvm_amd kvm ... [last unloaded: kvm]

CPU: 273 UID: 0 PID: 326626 Comm: sev_smoke_test Not tainted 6.12.0-smp--392e932fa0f3-feat #470

Hardware name: Google Astoria/astoria, BIOS 0.20240617.0-0 06/17/2024

RIP: 0010:complete_hypercall_exit+0x44/0xe0 [kvm]

Call Trace:

<TASK>

kvm_arch_vcpu

Remediation

Check the references section for vendor advisories and patches from linux. Update linux_kernel to the latest patched version. If immediate patching is not possible, review the CVSS vector to understand the attack surface and apply compensating controls such as network segmentation or access restrictions.

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions	Status
linux	linux_kernel	>= 5.15.5, < 5.15.176	Affected

References

Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/0840d360a8909c722fb62459f42836afe32ededb Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/22b5c2acd65dbe949032f619d4758a35a82fffc3 Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/3d2634ec0d1dbe8f4b511cf5261f327c6a76f4b6 Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/7ed4db315094963de0678a8adfd43c46471b9349 Ref git.kernel.org/stable/c/9b42d1e8e4fe9dc631162c04caa69b0d1860b0f0 Ref lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-55881?

CVE-2024-55881 is a medium-severity vulnerability affecting linux linux_kernel. It was published on January 11, 2025 and has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-55881?

This vulnerability has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 5.5, rated MEDIUM. It requires local or adjacent network access to exploit. Some level of privileges is required for exploitation.

How do I fix or remediate CVE-2024-55881?

How can CyberStrike help with CVE-2024-55881?

CyberStrike's AI-powered security agents can automatically detect CVE-2024-55881 across your infrastructure using autonomous pentesting, DAST scanning, and HackBrowser. The platform continuously monitors for known vulnerabilities and provides actionable remediation guidance prioritized by real-world exploitability.

How CyberStrike Helps

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HackBrowser

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