🛡️ CVE-2024-38616 — kernel

🟠 CVSS 8.2 — High ✅ No Known Exploit NVD
8.2
CVSS Score
0 Low4 Medium7 High9 Critical10

Description

wifi: carl9170: re-fix fortified-memset warning

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

wifi: carl9170: re-fix fortified-memset warning

The carl9170_tx_release() function sometimes triggers a fortified-memset

warning in my randconfig builds:

In file included from include/linux/string.h:254,

from drivers/net/wireless/ath/carl9170/tx.c:40:

In function 'fortify_memset_chk',

inlined from 'carl9170_tx_release' at drivers/net/wireless/ath/carl9170/tx.c:283:2,

inlined from 'kref_put' at include/linux/kref.h:65:3,

inlined from 'carl9170_tx_put_skb' at drivers/net/wireless/ath/carl9170/tx.c:342:9:

include/linux/fortify-string.h:493:25: error: call to '__write_overflow_field' declared with attribute warning: detected write beyond size of field (1st parameter); maybe use struct_group()? [-Werror=attribute-warning]

493 | __write_overflow_field(p_size_field, size);

Kees previously tried to avoid this by using memset_after(), but it seems

this does not fully address the problem. I noticed that the memset_after()

here is done on a different part of the union (status) than the original

cast was from (rate_driver_data), which may confuse the compiler.

Unfortunately, the memset_after() trick does not work on driver_rates[]

because that is part of an anonymous struct, and I could not get

struct_group() to do this either. Using two separate memset() calls

on the two members does address the warning though.

How this vulnerability can be exploited

This issue can be reached over the network, attack complexity is low, an attacker needs no privileges on the target. No user interaction is required. The scope is unchanged, so the impact stays within the vulnerable component. Rated impact: confidentiality none, integrity low, availability high.

Affected software

CVE-2024-38616 is recorded against 2 packages.

  • kernel (from 6.9.0 up to 6.9.3)
  • linux-kernel (from 6.9 up to 6.9.3)

Timeline and source

Published on 19 June 2024 and last revised on 15 July 2026. No public exploit is currently recorded for this entry. A vendor advisory or fix has been published. Record sourced from NVD.

References

git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
git.kernel.org (Web)
github.com (Advisory)
nvd.nist.gov (Advisory)
git.kernel.org (Package)

CVE-2024-38616 on other distributions

Each distribution ships its own build and its own fixed version. Pick the one you run:

Details

Severity High
CVSS Score 8.2
CVSS Vector CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:H
CWE N/A
Public Exploit ✅ No
Source NVD
Published 2024-06-19
Updated 2026-08-12
Modified 2026-07-15

Affected Packages

Software From version Fixed in
kernel 6.9.0 6.9.3
linux-kernel 6.9 6.9.3

Similar Threats

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