# CVE-2024-40978: scsi: qedi: Fix crash while reading debugfs attribute

> A local attacker can crash the Linux kernel by reading a specific debugfs attribute due to improper memory handling in the qedi driver.

- **Severity:** High 7.1 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/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:** 12 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-40978, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-40978, GHSA-xvxh-jmmc-4vxm, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-40978

## What is CVE-2024-40978?

CVE-2024-40978 is a high-severity 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:

scsi: qedi: Fix crash while reading debugfs attribute

The qedi_dbg_do_not_recover_cmd_read() function invokes sprintf() directly
on a __user pointer, which results into the crash.

To fix this issue, use a small local stack buffer for sprintf() and then
call simple_read_from_buffer(), which in turns make the copy_to_user()
call.

BUG: unable to handle page fault for address: 00007f4801111000
PGD 8000000864df6067 P4D 8000000864df6067 PUD 864df7067 PMD 846028067 PTE 0
Oops: 0002 [#1] PREEMPT SMP PTI
Hardware name: HPE ProLiant DL380 Gen10/ProLiant DL380 Gen10, BIOS U30 06/15/2023
RIP: 0010:memcpy_orig+0xcd/0x130
RSP: 0018:ffffb7a18c3ffc40 EFLAGS: 00010202
RAX: 00007f4801111000 RBX: 00007f4801111000 RCX: 000000000000000f
RDX: 000000000000000f RSI: ffffffffc0bfd7a0 RDI: 00007f4801111000
RBP: ffffffffc0bfd7a0 R08: 725f746f6e5f6f64 R09: 3d7265766f636572
R10: ffffb7a18c3ffd08 R11: 0000000000000000 R12: 00007f4881110fff
R13: 000000007fffffff R14: ffffb7a18c3ffca0 R15: ffffffffc0bfd7af
FS:  00007f480118a740(0000) GS:ffff98e38af00000(0000) knlGS:0000000000000000
CS:  0010 DS: 0000 ES: 0000 CR0: 0000000080050033
CR2: 00007f4801111000 CR3: 0000000864b8e001 CR4: 00000000007706e0
DR0: 0000000000000000 DR1: 0000000000000000 DR2: 0000000000000000
DR3: 0000000000000000 DR6: 00000000fffe0ff0 DR7: 0000000000000400
PKRU: 55555554
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 ? __die_body+0x1a/0x60
 ? page_fault_oops+0x183/0x510
 ? exc_page_fault+0x69/0x150
 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30
 ? memcpy_orig+0xcd/0x130
 vsnprintf+0x102/0x4c0
 sprintf+0x51/0x80
 qedi_dbg_do_not_recover_cmd_read+0x2f/0x50 [qedi 6bcfdeeecdea037da47069eca2ba717c84a77324]
 full_proxy_read+0x50/0x80
 vfs_read+0xa5/0x2e0
 ? folio_add_new_anon_rmap+0x44/0xa0
 ? set_pte_at+0x15/0x30
 ? do_pte_missing+0x426/0x7f0
 ksys_read+0xa5/0xe0
 do_syscall_64+0x58/0x80
 ? __count_memcg_events+0x46/0x90
 ? count_memcg_event_mm+0x3d/0x60
 ? handle_mm_fault+0x196/0x2f0
 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x267/0x890
 ? exc_page_fault+0x69/0x150
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x72/0xdc
RIP: 0033:0x7f4800f20b4d

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-40978?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-40978?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-40978 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-40978 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-2024-40978 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-40978 is a high-severity 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-2024-40978 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-2024-40978/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40978/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-40978
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-40978
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-40978

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-40978/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.