# CVE-2024-41090: tap: add missing verification for short frame

> A missing length check in the Linux kernel TAP driver allows out-of-bounds access, potentially leading to system crashes or code execution.

- **Severity:** High 8.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:C/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:** 29 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-41090, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-41090, GHSA-22mj-9hjg-cp82, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-41090

## What is CVE-2024-41090?

CVE-2024-41090 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 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:

tap: add missing verification for short frame

The cited commit missed to check against the validity of the frame length
in the tap_get_user_xdp() path, which could cause a corrupted skb to be
sent downstack. Even before the skb is transmitted, the
tap_get_user_xdp()-->skb_set_network_header() may assume the size is more
than ETH_HLEN. Once transmitted, this could either cause out-of-bound
access beyond the actual length, or confuse the underlayer with incorrect
or inconsistent header length in the skb metadata.

In the alternative path, tap_get_user() already prohibits short frame which
has the length less than Ethernet header size from being transmitted.

This is to drop any frame shorter than the Ethernet header size just like
how tap_get_user() does.

CVE: CVE-2024-41090

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

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-41090?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-41090?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-41090 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-41090 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-2024-41090 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-41090 is a high-severity memory corruption vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 29 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-2024-41090 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-2024-41090/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41090/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-41090
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-41090
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-41090

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-41090/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.