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CVE-2024-50021: ice: Fix improper handling of refcount in ice_dpll_init_rclk_pins()

5.5 CVSS

Description

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

ice: Fix improper handling of refcount in ice_dpll_init_rclk_pins()

This patch addresses a reference count handling issue in the
ice_dpll_init_rclk_pins() function. The function calls ice_dpll_get_pins(),
which increments the reference count of the relevant resources. However,
if the condition WARN_ON((!vsi || !vsi->netdev)) is met, the function
currently returns an error without properly releasing the resources
acquired by ice_dpll_get_pins(), leading to a reference count leak.

To resolve this, the check has been moved to the top of the function. This
ensures that the function verifies the state before any resources are
acquired, avoiding the need for additional resource management in the
error path.

This bug was identified by an experimental static analysis tool developed
by our team. The tool specializes in analyzing reference count operations
and detecting potential issues where resources are not properly managed.
In this case, the tool flagged the missing release operation as a
potential problem, which led to the development of this patch.

Classification

CVE ID: CVE-2024-50021

CVSS Base Severity: MEDIUM

CVSS Base Score: 5.5

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

Affected Products

Vendor: Linux

Product: Linux

Exploit Prediction Scoring System (EPSS)

EPSS Score: 0.03% (probability of being exploited)

EPSS Percentile: 6.2% (scored less or equal to compared to others)

EPSS Date: 2025-06-02 (when was this score calculated)

Stakeholder-Specific Vulnerability Categorization (SSVC)

SSVC Exploitation: none

SSVC Technical Impact: partial

SSVC Automatable: false

References

https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50021
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/aefecead9d08f4a35ab6f51ba2e408d2cef4e31d
https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/ccca30a18e36a742e606d5bf0630e75be7711d0a

Timeline