# CVE-2024-14027: xattr: switch to CLASS(fd)

> An unprivileged local user can cause kernel memory exhaustion by triggering a file reference leak in the fremovexattr syscall error path.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Any signed-in user
- **Attackable:** Local or same network only
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 9 Mar 2026
- **Updated:** 23 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-79538, BELL-CVE-2024-14027, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-14027, GHSA-h9jc-64qv-h9cg, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2024-14027, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-12-CVE-2024-14027, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-13-CVE-2024-14027, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2204-CVE-2024-14027, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2024-14027, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-14027

## What is CVE-2024-14027?

CVE-2024-14027 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

fs/xattr: missing fdput() in fremovexattr error path

In the Linux kernel, the fremovexattr() syscall calls fdget() to acquire a
file reference but returns early without calling fdput() when
strncpy_from_user() fails on the name argument. In multi-threaded processes
where fdget() takes the slow path, this permanently leaks one
file reference per call, pinning the struct file and associated kernel
objects in memory. An unprivileged local user can exploit this to cause
kernel memory exhaustion. The issue was inadvertently fixed by commit
a71874379ec8 ("xattr: switch to CLASS(fd)").

Weakness: CWE-401 (Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-14027?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-14027?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-14027 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-14027 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Public exploit code:

- Exploits for CVE-2024-14027 creating using AI/Claude as a test.  (github_poc): https://github.com/lcfr-hax/CVE-2024-14027_slop

## Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel

- [CVE-2026-53266](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53266/): Linux Kernel Out-of-Bounds Write (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-6282](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-6282/): Linux Kernel Improper Input Validation (high 8.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2022-0185](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2022-0185/): Linux Kernel Heap-Based Buffer Overflow (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2013-2094](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2013-2094/): Linux Kernel Privilege Escalation (high 8.4, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-53362](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-53362/): Linux Kernel Unspecified (high 7.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-14027 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-14027 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Mar 2026. It can only be exploited from the same machine or local network, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-14027 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Linux kernel. No package-level version data is available, so check the vendor advisory linked from the reference page.

Task:
1. Search the dependency manifests and lockfiles (for example package.json, package-lock.json, requirements.txt, poetry.lock, uv.lock, pom.xml, build.gradle, go.mod, Cargo.lock, Gemfile.lock) and any Dockerfiles for the affected packages, including transitive dependencies.
2. If an affected version is in use, upgrade it to the fixed version for its release line with the project's package manager, so the lockfile is regenerated. Prefer the smallest upgrade that fixes it.
3. If there is no fix, or the upgrade would break the build, do not guess: explain the risk and the safest workaround instead.
4. Run the tests and summarise what changed and why.
5. If nothing in the project is affected, say so and change nothing.

Reference: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-14027/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-14027/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-14027
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-14027
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-14027

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-14027/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.