# CVE-2024-42106: inet_diag: Initialize pad field in struct inet_diag_req_v2

> A local attacker can trigger an uninitialized memory access in the Linux kernel's inet_diag module, potentially leaking sensitive kernel memory contents.

- **Severity:** Medium 5.5 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/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:** 30 Jul 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-42106, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42106, GHSA-v2jg-x6cv-qjcg, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-42106

## What is CVE-2024-42106?

CVE-2024-42106 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 30 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:

inet_diag: Initialize pad field in struct inet_diag_req_v2

KMSAN reported uninit-value access in raw_lookup() [1]. Diag for raw
sockets uses the pad field in struct inet_diag_req_v2 for the
underlying protocol. This field corresponds to the sdiag_raw_protocol
field in struct inet_diag_req_raw.

inet_diag_get_exact_compat() converts inet_diag_req to
inet_diag_req_v2, but leaves the pad field uninitialized. So the issue
occurs when raw_lookup() accesses the sdiag_raw_protocol field.

Fix this by initializing the pad field in
inet_diag_get_exact_compat(). Also, do the same fix in
inet_diag_dump_compat() to avoid the similar issue in the future.

[1]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in raw_lookup net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:49 [inline]
BUG: KMSAN: uninit-value in raw_sock_get+0x657/0x800 net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:71
 raw_lookup net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:49 [inline]
 raw_sock_get+0x657/0x800 net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:71
 raw_diag_dump_one+0xa1/0x660 net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:99
 inet_diag_cmd_exact+0x7d9/0x980
 inet_diag_get_exact_compat net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1404 [inline]
 inet_diag_rcv_msg_compat+0x469/0x530 net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1426
 sock_diag_rcv_msg+0x23d/0x740 net/core/sock_diag.c:282
 netlink_rcv_skb+0x537/0x670 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2564
 sock_diag_rcv+0x35/0x40 net/core/sock_diag.c:297
 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1335 [inline]
 netlink_unicast+0xe74/0x1240 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1361
 netlink_sendmsg+0x10c6/0x1260 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1905
 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:730 [inline]
 __sock_sendmsg+0x332/0x3d0 net/socket.c:745
 ____sys_sendmsg+0x7f0/0xb70 net/socket.c:2585
 ___sys_sendmsg+0x271/0x3b0 net/socket.c:2639
 __sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2668 [inline]
 __do_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2677 [inline]
 __se_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2675 [inline]
 __x64_sys_sendmsg+0x27e/0x4a0 net/socket.c:2675
 x64_sys_call+0x135e/0x3ce0 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:47
 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline]
 do_syscall_64+0xd9/0x1e0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Uninit was stored to memory at:
 raw_sock_get+0x650/0x800 net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:71
 raw_diag_dump_one+0xa1/0x660 net/ipv4/raw_diag.c:99
 inet_diag_cmd_exact+0x7d9/0x980
 inet_diag_get_exact_compat net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1404 [inline]
 inet_diag_rcv_msg_compat+0x469/0x530 net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1426
 sock_diag_rcv_msg+0x23d/0x740 net/core/sock_diag.c:282
 netlink_rcv_skb+0x537/0x670 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:2564
 sock_diag_rcv+0x35/0x40 net/core/sock_diag.c:297
 netlink_unicast_kernel net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1335 [inline]
 netlink_unicast+0xe74/0x1240 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1361
 netlink_sendmsg+0x10c6/0x1260 net/netlink/af_netlink.c:1905
 sock_sendmsg_nosec net/socket.c:730 [inline]
 __sock_sendmsg+0x332/0x3d0 net/socket.c:745
 ____sys_sendmsg+0x7f0/0xb70 net/socket.c:2585
 ___sys_sendmsg+0x271/0x3b0 net/socket.c:2639
 __sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2668 [inline]
 __do_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2677 [inline]
 __se_sys_sendmsg net/socket.c:2675 [inline]
 __x64_sys_sendmsg+0x27e/0x4a0 net/socket.c:2675
 x64_sys_call+0x135e/0x3ce0 arch/x86/include/generated/asm/syscalls_64.h:47
 do_syscall_x64 arch/x86/entry/common.c:52 [inline]
 do_syscall_64+0xd9/0x1e0 arch/x86/entry/common.c:83
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Local variable req.i created at:
 inet_diag_get_exact_compat net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1396 [inline]
 inet_diag_rcv_msg_compat+0x2a6/0x530 net/ipv4/inet_diag.c:1426
 sock_diag_rcv_msg+0x23d/0x740 net/core/sock_diag.c:282

CPU: 1 PID: 8888 Comm: syz-executor.6 Not tainted 6.10.0-rc4-00217-g35bb670d65fc #32
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS 1.16.3-2.fc40 04/01/2014

Weakness: CWE-908 (Use of Uninitialized Resource)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-42106?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-42106?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-42106 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-42106 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-2024-42106 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-42106 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 30 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-2024-42106 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-2024-42106/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42106/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-42106
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-42106
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-42106

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-42106/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
