What is the CVSS score of CVE-2024-35854?

CVE-2024-35854 has a CVSS 3.1 base score of 7.8 (High). CVSS vector: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H. EPSS exploitation probability: 0.9%.

Which versions of Linux Kernel are affected by CVE-2024-35854?

A use-after-free vulnerability in Mellanox Spectrum Linux kernel drivers (CVE-2024-35854) allows local system users to corrupt kernel memory and escalate privileges.. A patch is available.

How to fix or mitigate CVE-2024-35854?

Within 24 hours: inventory systems running Mellanox Spectrum mlxsw drivers and consult vendor advisory for affected kernel versions. Within 7 days: prioritize patching production systems with the vendor-released patch, deploying concurrently to test environments. Within 30 days: complete patching of all remaining systems, verify patched kernel versions are running, and review local user access controls to minimize exploitation surface on affected infrastructure.

Linux Kernel CVE-2024-35854

HIGH

Use After Free (CWE-416)

2024-05-17 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Information Disclosure Linux Use After Free Memory Corruption Debian Debian Linux

7.8

CVSS 3.1 · Vendor: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Severity by source

Vendor (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67) PRIMARY

7.8 HIGH

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

vuln.today AI

7.0 HIGH

AC raised to H because inducing the specific migration-failure-with-non-negative-credits condition requires non-trivial timing and ACL rule manipulation beyond attacker-controlled inputs alone.

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

4.0 AV:L/AC:H/AT:N/PR:L/UI:N/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N

Primary rating from Vendor (416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67).

CVSS VectorVendor: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Attack Vector

Local

Attack Complexity

Low

Privileges Required

Low

User Interaction

None

Scope

Unchanged

Confidentiality

High

Integrity

High

Availability

High

Lifecycle Timeline

Analysis Updated

Aug 04, 2026 - 12:39 vuln.today

v3 (cvss_changed)

Analysis Updated

Aug 04, 2026 - 12:37 vuln.today

v2 (cvss_changed)

Analysis Updated

Aug 04, 2026 - 12:37 vuln.today

v1 (cvss_changed)

Re-analysis Queued

Aug 04, 2026 - 11:23 vuln.today

cvss_changed

CVSS changed

Aug 04, 2026 - 11:23 NVD

8.8 (HIGH) 7.8 (HIGH)

CVE Published

May 17, 2024 - 15:15 cve.org

HIGH 8.8

DescriptionCVE.org

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

mlxsw: spectrum_acl_tcam: Fix possible use-after-free during rehash

The rehash delayed work migrates filters from one region to another according to the number of available credits.

The migrated from region is destroyed at the end of the work if the number of credits is non-negative as the assumption is that this is indicative of migration being complete. This assumption is incorrect as a non-negative number of credits can also be the result of a failed migration.

The destruction of a region that still has filters referencing it can result in a use-after-free [1].

Fix by not destroying the region if migration failed.

[1] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in mlxsw_sp_acl_ctcam_region_entry_remove+0x21d/0x230 Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881735319e8 by task kworker/0:31/3858

CPU: 0 PID: 3858 Comm: kworker/0:31 Tainted: G W 6.9.0-rc2-custom-00782-gf2275c2157d8 #5 Hardware name: Mellanox Technologies Ltd. MSN3700/VMOD0005, BIOS 5.11 01/06/2019 Workqueue: mlxsw_core mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vregion_rehash_work Call Trace: <TASK> dump_stack_lvl+0xc6/0x120 print_report+0xce/0x670 kasan_report+0xd7/0x110 mlxsw_sp_acl_ctcam_region_entry_remove+0x21d/0x230 mlxsw_sp_acl_ctcam_entry_del+0x2e/0x70 mlxsw_sp_acl_atcam_entry_del+0x81/0x210 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vchunk_migrate_all+0x3cd/0xb50 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vregion_rehash_work+0x157/0x1300 process_one_work+0x8eb/0x19b0 worker_thread+0x6c9/0xf70 kthread+0x2c9/0x3b0 ret_from_fork+0x4d/0x80 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30 </TASK>

Allocated by task 174: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 __kasan_kmalloc+0x8f/0xa0 __kmalloc+0x19c/0x360 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_region_create+0xdf/0x9c0 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vregion_rehash_work+0x954/0x1300 process_one_work+0x8eb/0x19b0 worker_thread+0x6c9/0xf70 kthread+0x2c9/0x3b0 ret_from_fork+0x4d/0x80 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

Freed by task 7: kasan_save_stack+0x33/0x60 kasan_save_track+0x14/0x30 kasan_save_free_info+0x3b/0x60 poison_slab_object+0x102/0x170 __kasan_slab_free+0x14/0x30 kfree+0xc1/0x290 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_region_destroy+0x272/0x310 mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vregion_rehash_work+0x731/0x1300 process_one_work+0x8eb/0x19b0 worker_thread+0x6c9/0xf70 kthread+0x2c9/0x3b0 ret_from_fork+0x4d/0x80 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

AnalysisAI

Use-after-free in the Linux kernel's mlxsw Mellanox Spectrum ACL TCAM rehash path allows a local attacker with low privileges to corrupt kernel memory, enabling potential privilege escalation on systems running the affected Mellanox switch driver. The flaw arises because a failed filter migration during the rehash workqueue handler can produce a non-negative credit count - a condition previously assumed to indicate only successful completion - causing the source TCAM region to be freed while active filter entries still hold live references to it. With no CISA KEV listing, no known public exploit, and an EPSS of 0.94%, real-world exploitation risk is constrained by the requirement for Mellanox Spectrum hardware and local system access.

Technical ContextAI

The vulnerability resides in the mlxsw driver subsystem (drivers/net/ethernet/mellanox/mlxsw/spectrum_acl_tcam.c), which manages ACL policy enforcement on Mellanox Spectrum ASICs via a software abstraction over the hardware TCAM. During a rehash operation dispatched as a deferred kernel workqueue task (mlxsw_sp_acl_tcam_vregion_rehash_work), the driver migrates ACL filter entries from one TCAM region to another using a credit-based progress counter. The logic incorrectly treats a non-negative credit balance as unambiguous proof of completion and destroys the source region, but a partially failed migration can also leave a non-negative balance. This violates the object lifetime contract for the region structure, producing a CWE-416 (Use After Free) condition confirmed by a KASAN slab-use-after-free report: a subsequent read of the freed region struct at mlxsw_sp_acl_ctcam_region_entry_remove+0x21d triggers the crash. CPE data identifies affected versions spanning multiple stable Linux kernel branches and 6.9-rc1 through 6.9-rc4.

RemediationAI

Upstream fixes are available as patches committed to multiple Linux stable branches; administrators should update to a kernel version incorporating commits 311eeaa7b9e2, 4c89642ca47f, 54225988889931, 813e2ab753a8f8, a02687044e12, a429a912d6c7, and e118e7ea24d1, all accessible at https://git.kernel.org/stable/. Debian users should apply the kernel security update referenced in https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2024/06/msg00017.html. Exact patched kernel release version numbers beyond the upstream commits are not independently confirmed in the provided data. As a compensating control where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators can restrict local user access to systems running the mlxsw driver (reducing the PR:L attack surface), prevent unprivileged users from manipulating tc flower filter rules via Linux capabilities controls (CAP_NET_ADMIN restriction), or unload the mlxsw kernel module on hosts where Mellanox Spectrum hardware is not operationally required - noting that unloading the driver will disable the associated network interfaces.