# CVE-2024-40958: netns: Make get_net_ns() handle zero refcount net

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's network namespace handling allows local attackers to cause a system crash or potentially escalate privileges.

- **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-2024-40958, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-40958, GHSA-8rq2-2hq7-cqr5, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-40958

## What is CVE-2024-40958?

CVE-2024-40958 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:

netns: Make get_net_ns() handle zero refcount net

Syzkaller hit a warning:
refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free.
WARNING: CPU: 3 PID: 7890 at lib/refcount.c:25 refcount_warn_saturate+0xdf/0x1d0
Modules linked in:
CPU: 3 PID: 7890 Comm: tun Not tainted 6.10.0-rc3-00100-gcaa4f9578aba-dirty #310
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xdf/0x1d0
Code: 41 49 04 31 ff 89 de e8 9f 1e cd fe 84 db 75 9c e8 76 26 cd fe c6 05 b6 41 49 04 01 90 48 c7 c7 b8 8e 25 86 e8 d2 05 b5 fe 90 <0f> 0b 90 90 e9 79 ff ff ff e8 53 26 cd fe 0f b6 1
RSP: 0018:ffff8881067b7da0 EFLAGS: 00010286
RAX: 0000000000000000 RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: ffffffff811c72ac
RDX: ffff8881026a2140 RSI: ffffffff811c72b5 RDI: 0000000000000001
RBP: ffff8881067b7db0 R08: 0000000000000000 R09: 205b5d3730353139
R10: 0000000000000000 R11: 205d303938375420 R12: ffff8881086500c4
R13: ffff8881086500c4 R14: ffff8881086500b0 R15: ffff888108650040
FS:  00007f5b2961a4c0(0000) GS:ffff88823bd00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 000055d7ed36fd18 CR3: 00000001482f6000 CR4: 00000000000006f0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? show_regs+0xa3/0xc0
 ? __warn+0xa5/0x1c0
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xdf/0x1d0
 ? report_bug+0x1fc/0x2d0
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xdf/0x1d0
 ? handle_bug+0xa1/0x110
 ? exc_invalid_op+0x3c/0xb0
 ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x1f/0x30
 ? __warn_printk+0xcc/0x140
 ? __warn_printk+0xd5/0x140
 ? refcount_warn_saturate+0xdf/0x1d0
 get_net_ns+0xa4/0xc0
 ? __pfx_get_net_ns+0x10/0x10
 open_related_ns+0x5a/0x130
 __tun_chr_ioctl+0x1616/0x2370
 ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_switch+0x58/0xa0
 ? __sanitizer_cov_trace_const_cmp2+0x1c/0x30
 ? __pfx_tun_chr_ioctl+0x10/0x10
 tun_chr_ioctl+0x2f/0x40
 __x64_sys_ioctl+0x11b/0x160
 x64_sys_call+0x1211/0x20d0
 do_syscall_64+0x9e/0x1d0
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f
RIP: 0033:0x7f5b28f165d7
Code: b3 66 90 48 8b 05 b1 48 2d 00 64 c7 00 26 00 00 00 48 c7 c0 ff ff ff ff c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 b8 10 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d 81 48 2d 00 8
RSP: 002b:00007ffc2b59c5e8 EFLAGS: 00000246 ORIG_RAX: 0000000000000010
RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 0000000000000000 RCX: 00007f5b28f165d7
RDX: 0000000000000000 RSI: 00000000000054e3 RDI: 0000000000000003
RBP: 00007ffc2b59c650 R08: 00007f5b291ed8c0 R09: 00007f5b2961a4c0
R10: 0000000029690010 R11: 0000000000000246 R12: 0000000000400730
R13: 00007ffc2b59cf40 R14: 0000000000000000 R15: 0000000000000000
 </TASK>
Kernel panic - not syncing: kernel: panic_on_warn set ...

This is trigger as below:
          ns0                                    ns1
tun_set_iff() //dev is tun0
   tun->dev = dev
//ip link set tun0 netns ns1
                                       put_net() //ref is 0
__tun_chr_ioctl() //TUNGETDEVNETNS
   net = dev_net(tun->dev);
   open_related_ns(&net->ns, get_net_ns); //ns1
     get_net_ns()
        get_net() //addition on 0

Use maybe_get_net() in get_net_ns in case net's ref is zero to fix this

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-40958?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-40958?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-40958 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-40958 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-2024-40958 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-40958 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-2024-40958 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-2024-40958/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40958/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-40958
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-40958
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-40958

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40958/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.