# CVE-2024-49856: x86/sgx: Fix deadlock in SGX NUMA node search

> A deadlock in the Linux kernel SGX NUMA node search causes a soft lockup when EPC sections are unavailable, requiring specific firmware configurations.

- **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:** 21 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-50709, AZL-50963, BELL-CVE-2024-49856, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-49856, GHSA-333m-q4jm-qjq4, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-49856

## What is CVE-2024-49856?

CVE-2024-49856 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 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/sgx: Fix deadlock in SGX NUMA node search

When the current node doesn't have an EPC section configured by firmware
and all other EPC sections are used up, CPU can get stuck inside the
while loop that looks for an available EPC page from remote nodes
indefinitely, leading to a soft lockup. Note how nid_of_current will
never be equal to nid in that while loop because nid_of_current is not
set in sgx_numa_mask.

Also worth mentioning is that it's perfectly fine for the firmware not
to setup an EPC section on a node. While setting up an EPC section on
each node can enhance performance, it is not a requirement for
functionality.

Rework the loop to start and end on *a* node that has SGX memory. This
avoids the deadlock looking for the current SGX-lacking node to show up
in the loop when it never will.

Weakness: CWE-835 (Loop with Unreachable Exit Condition)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-49856?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-49856?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-49856 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-49856 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-2024-49856 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-49856 is a medium-severity denial of service vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 21 Oct 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-2024-49856 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-2024-49856/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-49856/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-49856
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-49856
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-49856

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-49856/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.