# CVE-2024-38385: genirq/irqdesc: Prevent use-after-free in irq_find_at_or_after()

> A use-after-free in the Linux kernel's IRQ descriptor handling allows attackers to cause a denial of service or potentially execute code.

- **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:** 25 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-38385, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38385, GHSA-6vwm-9rmv-mwwv, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-38385

## What is CVE-2024-38385?

CVE-2024-38385 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jun 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:

genirq/irqdesc: Prevent use-after-free in irq_find_at_or_after()

irq_find_at_or_after() dereferences the interrupt descriptor which is
returned by mt_find() while neither holding sparse_irq_lock nor RCU read
lock, which means the descriptor can be freed between mt_find() and the
dereference:

    CPU0                            CPU1
    desc = mt_find()
                                    delayed_free_desc(desc)
    irq_desc_get_irq(desc)

The use-after-free is reported by KASAN:

    Call trace:
     irq_get_next_irq+0x58/0x84
     show_stat+0x638/0x824
     seq_read_iter+0x158/0x4ec
     proc_reg_read_iter+0x94/0x12c
     vfs_read+0x1e0/0x2c8

    Freed by task 4471:
     slab_free_freelist_hook+0x174/0x1e0
     __kmem_cache_free+0xa4/0x1dc
     kfree+0x64/0x128
     irq_kobj_release+0x28/0x3c
     kobject_put+0xcc/0x1e0
     delayed_free_desc+0x14/0x2c
     rcu_do_batch+0x214/0x720

Guard the access with a RCU read lock section.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38385?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-38385?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-38385 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38385 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-2024-38385 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38385 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 25 Jun 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-2024-38385 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-2024-38385/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38385/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38385
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38385
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38385

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38385/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.