# CVE-2024-26988: init/main.c: Fix potential static_command_line memory overflow

> A memory overflow in the Linux kernel init process can lead to system crashes or potential code execution due to incorrect buffer size calculation.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/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:** 1 May 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-26988, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-26988, GHSA-h5cg-5c4w-8jch, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-26988

## What is CVE-2024-26988?

CVE-2024-26988 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 1 May 2024. 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:

init/main.c: Fix potential static_command_line memory overflow

We allocate memory of size 'xlen + strlen(boot_command_line) + 1' for
static_command_line, but the strings copied into static_command_line are
extra_command_line and command_line, rather than extra_command_line and
boot_command_line.

When strlen(command_line) > strlen(boot_command_line), static_command_line
will overflow.

This patch just recovers strlen(command_line) which was miss-consolidated
with strlen(boot_command_line) in the commit f5c7310ac73e ("init/main: add
checks for the return value of memblock_alloc*()")

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-26988?

It affects 3 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Fedoraproject Fedora, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-26988?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-26988 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-26988 in the wild and no public exploit code.

## Other vulnerabilities in Debian Debian Linux

- [CVE-2015-3306](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2015-3306/): ProFTPD Improper Access Control (critical 10.0, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-49113](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-49113/): RoundCube Webmail Deserialization of Untrusted Data (critical 9.9, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2026-24061](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2026-24061/): GNU InetUtils Argument Injection (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2025-39682](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2025-39682/): Linux Kernel Improper Check for Unusual or Exceptional Conditions (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)
- [CVE-2024-9680](https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-9680/): Mozilla Firefox Use-After-Free (critical 9.8, exploited in the wild)

## Fix prompt for AI coding agents

```text
Check this codebase for CVE-2024-26988 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-26988 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 1 May 2024. 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-2024-26988 in the wild and no public exploit code.

Affected product: Debian Debian Linux. 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-2024-26988/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26988/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-26988
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-26988
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-26988

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-26988/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.