# CVE-2024-39502: ionic: fix use after netif_napi_del()

> A use-after-free bug in the Linux kernel's ionic network driver allows local attackers to cause a system crash by manipulating network queue configurations.

- **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:** 12 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-39502, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-39502, GHSA-28h9-44vg-f29v, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-39502

## What is CVE-2024-39502?

CVE-2024-39502 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 12 Jul 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:

ionic: fix use after netif_napi_del()

When queues are started, netif_napi_add() and napi_enable() are called.
If there are 4 queues and only 3 queues are used for the current
configuration, only 3 queues' napi should be registered and enabled.
The ionic_qcq_enable() checks whether the .poll pointer is not NULL for
enabling only the using queue' napi. Unused queues' napi will not be
registered by netif_napi_add(), so the .poll pointer indicates NULL.
But it couldn't distinguish whether the napi was unregistered or not
because netif_napi_del() doesn't reset the .poll pointer to NULL.
So, ionic_qcq_enable() calls napi_enable() for the queue, which was
unregistered by netif_napi_del().

Reproducer:
   ethtool -L <interface name> rx 1 tx 1 combined 0
   ethtool -L <interface name> rx 0 tx 0 combined 1
   ethtool -L <interface name> rx 0 tx 0 combined 4

Splat looks like:
kernel BUG at net/core/dev.c:6666!
Oops: invalid opcode: 0000 [#1] PREEMPT SMP NOPTI
CPU: 3 PID: 1057 Comm: kworker/3:3 Not tainted 6.10.0-rc2+ #16
Workqueue: events ionic_lif_deferred_work [ionic]
RIP: 0010:napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
Code: 48 89 c2 48 83 e2 f6 80 b9 61 09 00 00 00 74 0d 48 83 bf 60 01 00 00 00 74 03 80 ce 01 f0 4f
RSP: 0018:ffffb6ed83227d48 EFLAGS: 00010246
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: ffff97560cda0828 RCX: 0000000000000029
RDX: 0000000000000001 RSI: 0000000000000000 RDI: ffff97560cda0a28
RBP: ffffb6ed83227d50 R08: 0000000000000400 R09: 0000000000000001
R10: 0000000000000001 R11: 0000000000000001 R12: 0000000000000000
R13: ffff97560ce3c1a0 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: ffff975613ba0a20
FS:  0000000000000000(0000) GS:ffff975d5f780000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00007f8f734ee200 CR3: 0000000103e50000 CR4: 00000000007506f0
PKRU: 55555554
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? die+0x33/0x90
 ? do_trap+0xd9/0x100
 ? napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
 ? do_error_trap+0x83/0xb0
 ? napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
 ? napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
 ? exc_invalid_op+0x4e/0x70
 ? napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
 ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x16/0x20
 ? napi_enable+0x3b/0x40
 ionic_qcq_enable+0xb7/0x180 [ionic 59bdfc8a035436e1c4224ff7d10789e3f14643f8]
 ionic_start_queues+0xc4/0x290 [ionic 59bdfc8a035436e1c4224ff7d10789e3f14643f8]
 ionic_link_status_check+0x11c/0x170 [ionic 59bdfc8a035436e1c4224ff7d10789e3f14643f8]
 ionic_lif_deferred_work+0x129/0x280 [ionic 59bdfc8a035436e1c4224ff7d10789e3f14643f8]
 process_one_work+0x145/0x360
 worker_thread+0x2bb/0x3d0
 ? __pfx_worker_thread+0x10/0x10
 kthread+0xcc/0x100
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork+0x2d/0x50
 ? __pfx_kthread+0x10/0x10
 ret_from_fork_asm+0x1a/0x30

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-39502?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-39502?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-39502 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-39502 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-2024-39502 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-39502 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 12 Jul 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-2024-39502 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-2024-39502/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-39502/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-39502
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-39502
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-39502

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-39502/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
