CVE-2024-23848 Linux CVE debrief

Who should care

Linux kernel maintainers, distro security teams, and operators running systems that include the media/CEC kernel subsystem should pay attention. Because the flaw is in kernel code and is reachable with local privileges, it matters most on multi-user systems, developer workstations, and any environment where local users are not fully trusted.

Technical summary

NVD describes CVE-2024-23848 as a use-after-free (CWE-416) in cec_queue_msg_fh, tied to drivers/media/cec/core/cec-adap.c and drivers/media/cec/core/cec-api.c. The NVD CVSS vector is CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H, indicating a local attack that requires low privileges and can cause high availability impact. The affected CPE entry covers linux_kernel versions up to and including 6.7.1.

Defensive priority

Medium. Patch during normal security maintenance, but treat it as higher priority on systems where local access is shared or less trusted, because the flaw is in kernel memory management and can affect system availability.

Recommended defensive actions

• Apply the vendor or upstream kernel fix once it is available in your distribution's security channel or maintained kernel tree.
• Check distro and vendor advisories linked to the CVE for backported fixes rather than relying only on the upstream version number.
• Limit unnecessary local shell access and other local privilege pathways on systems that are exposed to untrusted users.
• If immediate patching is not possible, increase monitoring for kernel crashes or instability on systems using the affected media/CEC code paths.
• For maintainers, verify whether your kernel build includes the affected drivers/media/cec/core components and whether the fix has been backported.

Evidence notes

This debrief is based only on the supplied official CVE/NVD corpus and linked official references. NVD records the vulnerability as a Linux kernel use-after-free in cec_queue_msg_fh, with CWE-416 and a CVSS v3.1 vector of AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H. The record also includes references to the Linux kernel mailing list and a Siemens CERT advisory, which support that this issue has official vendor-facing remediation context.

Official resources