# CVE-2024-38599: jffs2: prevent xattr node from overflowing the eraseblock

> A local attacker can trigger a slab-out-of-bounds write in the JFFS2 filesystem by setting an oversized extended attribute, causing kernel crashes or potential code execution.

- **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:** 19 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-38599, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38599, GHSA-w4vh-xgg6-r5f4, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-38599

## What is CVE-2024-38599?

CVE-2024-38599 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:

jffs2: prevent xattr node from overflowing the eraseblock

Add a check to make sure that the requested xattr node size is no larger
than the eraseblock minus the cleanmarker.

Unlike the usual inode nodes, the xattr nodes aren't split into parts
and spread across multiple eraseblocks, which means that a xattr node
must not occupy more than one eraseblock. If the requested xattr value is
too large, the xattr node can spill onto the next eraseblock, overwriting
the nodes and causing errors such as:

jffs2: argh. node added in wrong place at 0x0000b050(2)
jffs2: nextblock 0x0000a000, expected at 0000b00c
jffs2: error: (823) do_verify_xattr_datum: node CRC failed at 0x01e050,
read=0xfc892c93, calc=0x000000
jffs2: notice: (823) jffs2_get_inode_nodes: Node header CRC failed
at 0x01e00c. {848f,2fc4,0fef511f,59a3d171}
jffs2: Node at 0x0000000c with length 0x00001044 would run over the
end of the erase block
jffs2: Perhaps the file system was created with the wrong erase size?
jffs2: jffs2_scan_eraseblock(): Magic bitmask 0x1985 not found
at 0x00000010: 0x1044 instead

This breaks the filesystem and can lead to KASAN crashes such as:

BUG: KASAN: slab-out-of-bounds in jffs2_sum_add_kvec+0x125e/0x15d0
Read of size 4 at addr ffff88802c31e914 by task repro/830
CPU: 0 PID: 830 Comm: repro Not tainted 6.9.0-rc3+ #1
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996),
BIOS Arch Linux 1.16.3-1-1 04/01/2014
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 dump_stack_lvl+0xc6/0x120
 print_report+0xc4/0x620
 ? __virt_addr_valid+0x308/0x5b0
 kasan_report+0xc1/0xf0
 ? jffs2_sum_add_kvec+0x125e/0x15d0
 ? jffs2_sum_add_kvec+0x125e/0x15d0
 jffs2_sum_add_kvec+0x125e/0x15d0
 jffs2_flash_direct_writev+0xa8/0xd0
 jffs2_flash_writev+0x9c9/0xef0
 ? __x64_sys_setxattr+0xc4/0x160
 ? do_syscall_64+0x69/0x140
 ? entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
 [...]

Found by Linux Verification Center (linuxtesting.org) with Syzkaller.

Weakness: CWE-125 (Out-of-bounds Read)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38599?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-38599?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-38599 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38599 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-2024-38599 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38599 is a high-severity memory corruption 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-2024-38599 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-2024-38599/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38599/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38599
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38599
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38599

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38599/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.