# CVE-2024-38598: md: fix resync softlockup when bitmap size is less than array size

> A logic error in the Linux kernel's md/raid10 resync process causes a CPU soft lockup, leading to a 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 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-38598, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38598, GHSA-c8cc-57pq-936r, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-38598

## What is CVE-2024-38598?

CVE-2024-38598 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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:

md: fix resync softlockup when bitmap size is less than array size

Is is reported that for dm-raid10, lvextend + lvchange --syncaction will
trigger following softlockup:

kernel:watchdog: BUG: soft lockup - CPU#3 stuck for 26s! [mdX_resync:6976]
CPU: 7 PID: 3588 Comm: mdX_resync Kdump: loaded Not tainted 6.9.0-rc4-next-20240419 #1
RIP: 0010:_raw_spin_unlock_irq+0x13/0x30
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 md_bitmap_start_sync+0x6b/0xf0
 raid10_sync_request+0x25c/0x1b40 [raid10]
 md_do_sync+0x64b/0x1020
 md_thread+0xa7/0x170
 kthread+0xcf/0x100
 ret_from_fork+0x30/0x50
 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

And the detailed process is as follows:

md_do_sync
 j = mddev->resync_min
 while (j < max_sectors)
  sectors = raid10_sync_request(mddev, j, &skipped)
   if (!md_bitmap_start_sync(..., &sync_blocks))
    // md_bitmap_start_sync set sync_blocks to 0
    return sync_blocks + sectors_skippe;
  // sectors = 0;
  j += sectors;
  // j never change

Root cause is that commit 301867b1c168 ("md/raid10: check
slab-out-of-bounds in md_bitmap_get_counter") return early from
md_bitmap_get_counter(), without setting returned blocks.

Fix this problem by always set returned blocks from
md_bitmap_get_counter"(), as it used to be.

Noted that this patch just fix the softlockup problem in kernel, the
case that bitmap size doesn't match array size still need to be fixed.

Weakness: CWE-667 (Improper Locking)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38598?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-38598?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-38598 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38598 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-2024-38598 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38598 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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-2024-38598 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-2024-38598/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38598/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38598
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38598
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38598

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38598/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.