# CVE-2024-40970: Avoid hw_desc array overrun in dw-axi-dmac

> A buffer overrun in the dw-axi-dmac driver can cause a kernel panic, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-40970, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-40970, GHSA-6pg5-rgpc-92pf, ROOT-OS-DEBIAN-11-CVE-2024-40970, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-40970

## What is CVE-2024-40970?

CVE-2024-40970 is a high-severity memory corruption 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:

Avoid hw_desc array overrun in dw-axi-dmac

I have a use case where nr_buffers = 3 and in which each descriptor is composed by 3
segments, resulting in the DMA channel descs_allocated to be 9. Since axi_desc_put()
handles the hw_desc considering the descs_allocated, this scenario would result in a
kernel panic (hw_desc array will be overrun).

To fix this, the proposal is to add a new member to the axi_dma_desc structure,
where we keep the number of allocated hw_descs (axi_desc_alloc()) and use it in
axi_desc_put() to handle the hw_desc array correctly.

Additionally I propose to remove the axi_chan_start_first_queued() call after completing
the transfer, since it was identified that unbalance can occur (started descriptors can
be interrupted and transfer ignored due to DMA channel not being enabled).

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-40970?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-40970?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-40970 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-40970 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-2024-40970 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-40970 is a high-severity memory corruption 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-2024-40970 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-2024-40970/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40970/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-40970
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-40970
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-40970

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40970/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.