# CVE-2024-50020: ice: Fix improper handling of refcount in ice_sriov_set_msix_vec_count()

> A reference count leak in the Intel ice network driver can lead to resource exhaustion and 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:** 21 Oct 2024
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-50020, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-50020, GHSA-2mfj-xm96-46wm, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-50020

## What is CVE-2024-50020?

CVE-2024-50020 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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:

ice: Fix improper handling of refcount in ice_sriov_set_msix_vec_count()

This patch addresses an issue with improper reference count handling in the
ice_sriov_set_msix_vec_count() function.

First, the function calls ice_get_vf_by_id(), which increments the
reference count of the vf pointer. If the subsequent call to
ice_get_vf_vsi() fails, the function currently returns an error without
decrementing the reference count of the vf pointer, leading to a reference
count leak. The correct behavior, as implemented in this patch, is to
decrement the reference count using ice_put_vf(vf) before returning an
error when vsi is NULL.

Second, the function calls ice_sriov_get_irqs(), which sets
vf->first_vector_idx. If this call returns a negative value, indicating an
error, the function returns an error without decrementing the reference
count of the vf pointer, resulting in another reference count leak. The
patch addresses this by adding a call to ice_put_vf(vf) before returning
an error when vf->first_vector_idx < 0.

This bug was identified by an experimental static analysis tool developed
by our team. The tool specializes in analyzing reference count operations
and identifying potential mismanagement of reference counts. In this case,
the tool flagged the missing decrement operation as a potential issue,
leading to this patch.

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-50020?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-50020?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-50020 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-50020 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-2024-50020 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-50020 is a medium-severity memory corruption 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-2024-50020 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-2024-50020/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50020/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-50020
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50020
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-50020

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50020/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.