CVE-2024-40974

powerpc/pseries: Enforce hcall result buffer validity and size

Published Jul 12, 2024 CVSS 3.1 · 7.8 High EPSS < 1% KEV · Not listed
Description
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

powerpc/pseries: Enforce hcall result buffer validity and size

plpar_hcall(), plpar_hcall9(), and related functions expect callers to
provide valid result buffers of certain minimum size. Currently this
is communicated only through comments in the code and the compiler has
no idea.

For example, if I write a bug like this:

long retbuf[PLPAR_HCALL_BUFSIZE]; // should be PLPAR_HCALL9_BUFSIZE
plpar_hcall9(H_ALLOCATE_VAS_WINDOW, retbuf, ...);

This compiles with no diagnostics emitted, but likely results in stack
corruption at runtime when plpar_hcall9() stores results past the end
of the array. (To be clear this is a contrived example and I have not
found a real instance yet.)

To make this class of error less likely, we can use explicitly-sized
array parameters instead of pointers in the declarations for the hcall
APIs. When compiled with -Warray-bounds[1], the code above now
provokes a diagnostic like this:

error: array argument is too small;
is of size 32, callee requires at least 72 [-Werror,-Warray-bounds]
60 | plpar_hcall9(H_ALLOCATE_VAS_WINDOW, retbuf,
| ^ ~~~~~~

[1] Enabled for LLVM builds but not GCC for now. See commit
0da6e5fd6c37 ("gcc: disable '-Warray-bounds' for gcc-13 too") and
related changes.

Remediation

No solution or workaround provided in the CVE record

Tracking

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Advisories

Source ID Title
Debian DLA Debian DLA DLA-4008-1 linux-6.1 security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-5730-1 linux security update
Debian DSA Debian DSA DSA-5731-1 linux security update
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6999-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-6999-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7003-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7003-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7003-3 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7003-4 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7003-5 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7004-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7005-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7005-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7006-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7007-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7007-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7007-3 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7008-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7009-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7009-2 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7019-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
Ubuntu USN Ubuntu USN USN-7029-1 Linux kernel vulnerabilities
History
Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Weaknesses CWE-787
CPEs cpe:2.3:o:linux:linux_kernel:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Vendors & Products Linux
Linux linux Kernel
Metrics cvssV3_1

{'score': 6.6, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H'}

cvssV3_1

{'score': 7.8, 'vector': 'CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
Metrics ssvc

{'options': {'Automatable': 'no', 'Exploitation': 'none', 'Technical Impact': 'partial'}, 'version': '2.0.3'}

Type Values Removed Values Added
First Time appeared Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
CPEs cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:8
Vendors & Products Redhat
Redhat enterprise Linux
Weaknesses

Sources

Status
PUBLISHED
Assigner
Linux
Published
Updated
Aug 5, 2026, 11:34 AM
Reserved
Jul 12, 2024, 12:17 PM
Status
Modified
Published
Jul 12, 2024, 1:15 PM
Modified
Aug 4, 2026, 11:19 AM
Severity
Moderate
Public date
Jul 12, 2024, 12:00 AM