# CVE-2024-44965: x86/mm: Fix pti_clone_pgtable() alignment assumption

> A flaw in the Linux kernel's page table cloning logic causes system crashes on i386 architectures, leading to denial of service.

- **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:** 4 Sep 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-44965, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-44965, GHSA-8px8-w879-9rmh, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-44965

## What is CVE-2024-44965?

CVE-2024-44965 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Sep 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:

x86/mm: Fix pti_clone_pgtable() alignment assumption

Guenter reported dodgy crashes on an i386-nosmp build using GCC-11
that had the form of endless traps until entry stack exhaust and then
#DF from the stack guard.

It turned out that pti_clone_pgtable() had alignment assumptions on
the start address, notably it hard assumes start is PMD aligned. This
is true on x86_64, but very much not true on i386.

These assumptions can cause the end condition to malfunction, leading
to a 'short' clone. Guess what happens when the user mapping has a
short copy of the entry text?

Use the correct increment form for addr to avoid alignment
assumptions.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-44965?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-44965?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-44965 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-44965 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-2024-44965 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-44965 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 4 Sep 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-2024-44965 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-2024-44965/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-44965/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-44965
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-44965
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-44965

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-44965/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.