# CVE-2024-26901: do_sys_name_to_handle(): use kzalloc() to fix kernel-infoleak

> A local attacker can read uninitialized kernel memory via the name_to_handle_at syscall, potentially exposing sensitive data.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:L`)
- **Exploited in the wild:** Not known
- **Login needed:** Not needed
- **Attackable:** Over the internet
- **Victim action needed:** Not needed
- **Fix available:** Yes
- **Published:** 17 Apr 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-40082, BELL-CVE-2024-26901, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-26901, GHSA-jwqh-57hr-2ggg, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-26901

## What is CVE-2024-26901?

CVE-2024-26901 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 17 Apr 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

### Official description

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

do_sys_name_to_handle(): use kzalloc() to fix kernel-infoleak

syzbot identified a kernel information leak vulnerability in
do_sys_name_to_handle() and issued the following report [1].

[1]
"BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:114 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: kernel-infoleak in _copy_to_user+0xbc/0x100 lib/usercopy.c:40
 instrument_copy_to_user include/linux/instrumented.h:114 [inline]
 _copy_to_user+0xbc/0x100 lib/usercopy.c:40
 copy_to_user include/linux/uaccess.h:191 [inline]
 do_sys_name_to_handle fs/fhandle.c:73 [inline]
 __do_sys_name_to_handle_at fs/fhandle.c:112 [inline]
 __se_sys_name_to_handle_at+0x949/0xb10 fs/fhandle.c:94
 __x64_sys_name_to_handle_at+0xe4/0x140 fs/fhandle.c:94
 ...

Uninit was created at:
 slab_post_alloc_hook+0x129/0xa70 mm/slab.h:768
 slab_alloc_node mm/slub.c:3478 [inline]
 __kmem_cache_alloc_node+0x5c9/0x970 mm/slub.c:3517
 __do_kmalloc_node mm/slab_common.c:1006 [inline]
 __kmalloc+0x121/0x3c0 mm/slab_common.c:1020
 kmalloc include/linux/slab.h:604 [inline]
 do_sys_name_to_handle fs/fhandle.c:39 [inline]
 __do_sys_name_to_handle_at fs/fhandle.c:112 [inline]
 __se_sys_name_to_handle_at+0x441/0xb10 fs/fhandle.c:94
 __x64_sys_name_to_handle_at+0xe4/0x140 fs/fhandle.c:94
 ...

Bytes 18-19 of 20 are uninitialized
Memory access of size 20 starts at ffff888128a46380
Data copied to user address 0000000020000240"

Per Chuck Lever's suggestion, use kzalloc() instead of kmalloc() to
solve the problem.

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-26901?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-26901?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-26901 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26901 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## 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-2024-26901 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-26901 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 17 Apr 2024. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.
Exploitation: There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26901 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-2024-26901/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26901/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-26901
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26901
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26901

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26901/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.