# CVE-2024-35944: VMCI: Fix memcpy() run-time warning in dg_dispatch_as_host()

> A kernel bug in the VMCI driver causes a runtime warning and potential crash when handling specific datagram payloads, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 19 May 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-35944, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-35944, GHSA-g37w-wjp2-mp83, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-35944

## What is CVE-2024-35944?

CVE-2024-35944 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 19 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:

VMCI: Fix memcpy() run-time warning in dg_dispatch_as_host()

Syzkaller hit 'WARNING in dg_dispatch_as_host' bug.

memcpy: detected field-spanning write (size 56) of single field "&dg_info->msg"
at drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_datagram.c:237 (size 24)

WARNING: CPU: 0 PID: 1555 at drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_datagram.c:237
dg_dispatch_as_host+0x88e/0xa60 drivers/misc/vmw_vmci/vmci_datagram.c:237

Some code commentry, based on my understanding:

544 #define VMCI_DG_SIZE(_dg) (VMCI_DG_HEADERSIZE + (size_t)(_dg)->payload_size)
/// This is 24 + payload_size

memcpy(&dg_info->msg, dg, dg_size);
	Destination = dg_info->msg ---> this is a 24 byte
					structure(struct vmci_datagram)
	Source = dg --> this is a 24 byte structure (struct vmci_datagram)
	Size = dg_size = 24 + payload_size

{payload_size = 56-24 =32} -- Syzkaller managed to set payload_size to 32.

 35 struct delayed_datagram_info {
 36         struct datagram_entry *entry;
 37         struct work_struct work;
 38         bool in_dg_host_queue;
 39         /* msg and msg_payload must be together. */
 40         struct vmci_datagram msg;
 41         u8 msg_payload[];
 42 };

So those extra bytes of payload are copied into msg_payload[], a run time
warning is seen while fuzzing with Syzkaller.

One possible way to fix the warning is to split the memcpy() into
two parts -- one -- direct assignment of msg and second taking care of payload.

Gustavo quoted:
"Under FORTIFY_SOURCE we should not copy data across multiple members
in a structure."

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-35944?

It affects 2 products.


Products: Debian Debian Linux, Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-35944?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-35944 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-35944 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-2024-35944 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-35944 is a medium-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Debian Debian Linux, published on 19 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-2024-35944 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-2024-35944/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35944/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-35944
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-35944
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-35944

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-35944/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.