# CVE-2024-38661: s390/ap: Fix crash in AP internal function modify_bitmap()

> An integer overflow in the s390 AP driver causes a kernel crash, leading to denial of service on affected Linux systems.

- **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:** 25 Jun 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-38661, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-38661, GHSA-w2r4-hcq9-mf2m, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-38661

## What is CVE-2024-38661?

CVE-2024-38661 is a medium-severity 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:

s390/ap: Fix crash in AP internal function modify_bitmap()

A system crash like this

  Failing address: 200000cb7df6f000 TEID: 200000cb7df6f403
  Fault in home space mode while using kernel ASCE.
  AS:00000002d71bc007 R3:00000003fe5b8007 S:000000011a446000 P:000000015660c13d
  Oops: 0038 ilc:3 [#1] PREEMPT SMP
  Modules linked in: mlx5_ib ...
  CPU: 8 PID: 7556 Comm: bash Not tainted 6.9.0-rc7 #8
  Hardware name: IBM 3931 A01 704 (LPAR)
  Krnl PSW : 0704e00180000000 0000014b75e7b606 (ap_parse_bitmap_str+0x10e/0x1f8)
  R:0 T:1 IO:1 EX:1 Key:0 M:1 W:0 P:0 AS:3 CC:2 PM:0 RI:0 EA:3
  Krnl GPRS: 0000000000000001 ffffffffffffffc0 0000000000000001 00000048f96b75d3
  000000cb00000100 ffffffffffffffff ffffffffffffffff 000000cb7df6fce0
  000000cb7df6fce0 00000000ffffffff 000000000000002b 00000048ffffffff
  000003ff9b2dbc80 200000cb7df6fcd8 0000014bffffffc0 000000cb7df6fbc8
  Krnl Code: 0000014b75e7b5fc: a7840047            brc     8,0000014b75e7b68a
  0000014b75e7b600: 18b2                lr      %r11,%r2
  #0000014b75e7b602: a7f4000a            brc     15,0000014b75e7b616
  >0000014b75e7b606: eb22d00000e6        laog    %r2,%r2,0(%r13)
  0000014b75e7b60c: a7680001            lhi     %r6,1
  0000014b75e7b610: 187b                lr      %r7,%r11
  0000014b75e7b612: 84960021            brxh    %r9,%r6,0000014b75e7b654
  0000014b75e7b616: 18e9                lr      %r14,%r9
  Call Trace:
  [<0000014b75e7b606>] ap_parse_bitmap_str+0x10e/0x1f8
  ([<0000014b75e7b5dc>] ap_parse_bitmap_str+0xe4/0x1f8)
  [<0000014b75e7b758>] apmask_store+0x68/0x140
  [<0000014b75679196>] kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x14e/0x1e8
  [<0000014b75598524>] vfs_write+0x1b4/0x448
  [<0000014b7559894c>] ksys_write+0x74/0x100
  [<0000014b7618a440>] __do_syscall+0x268/0x328
  [<0000014b761a3558>] system_call+0x70/0x98
  INFO: lockdep is turned off.
  Last Breaking-Event-Address:
  [<0000014b75e7b636>] ap_parse_bitmap_str+0x13e/0x1f8
  Kernel panic - not syncing: Fatal exception: panic_on_oops

occured when /sys/bus/ap/a[pq]mask was updated with a relative mask value
(like +0x10-0x12,+60,-90) with one of the numeric values exceeding INT_MAX.

The fix is simple: use unsigned long values for the internal variables. The
correct checks are already in place in the function but a simple int for
the internal variables was used with the possibility to overflow.

Weakness: CWE-190 (Integer Overflow or Wraparound)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-38661?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-38661?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-38661 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-38661 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-2024-38661 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-38661 is a medium-severity 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-2024-38661 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-2024-38661/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38661/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-38661
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-38661
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-38661

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-38661/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.