# CVE-2024-50257: netfilter: Fix use-after-free in get_info()

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel netfilter module allows local attackers to potentially execute arbitrary code or escalate privileges.

- **Severity:** High 7.0 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:H/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/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:** 9 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-53259, AZL-53304, BELL-CVE-2024-50257, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-50257, GHSA-qrhx-x8x3-mm5q, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-50257

## What is CVE-2024-50257?

CVE-2024-50257 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Nov 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:

netfilter: Fix use-after-free in get_info()

ip6table_nat module unload has refcnt warning for UAF. call trace is:

WARNING: CPU: 1 PID: 379 at kernel/module/main.c:853 module_put+0x6f/0x80
Modules linked in: ip6table_nat(-)
CPU: 1 UID: 0 PID: 379 Comm: ip6tables Not tainted 6.12.0-rc4-00047-gc2ee9f594da8-dirty #205
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996),
BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:module_put+0x6f/0x80
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 get_info+0x128/0x180
 do_ip6t_get_ctl+0x6a/0x430
 nf_getsockopt+0x46/0x80
 ipv6_getsockopt+0xb9/0x100
 rawv6_getsockopt+0x42/0x190
 do_sock_getsockopt+0xaa/0x180
 __sys_getsockopt+0x70/0xc0
 __x64_sys_getsockopt+0x20/0x30
 do_syscall_64+0xa2/0x1a0
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

Concurrent execution of module unload and get_info() trigered the warning.
The root cause is as follows:

cpu0				      cpu1
module_exit
//mod->state = MODULE_STATE_GOING
  ip6table_nat_exit
    xt_unregister_template
	kfree(t)
	//removed from templ_list
				      getinfo()
					  t = xt_find_table_lock
						list_for_each_entry(tmpl, &xt_templates[af]...)
							if (strcmp(tmpl->name, name))
								continue;  //table not found
							try_module_get
						list_for_each_entry(t, &xt_net->tables[af]...)
							return t;  //not get refcnt
					  module_put(t->me) //uaf
    unregister_pernet_subsys
    //remove table from xt_net list

While xt_table module was going away and has been removed from
xt_templates list, we couldnt get refcnt of xt_table->me. Check
module in xt_net->tables list re-traversal to fix it.

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-50257?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-50257?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-50257 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-50257 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-2024-50257 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-50257 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 9 Nov 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-2024-50257 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-2024-50257/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50257/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-50257
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-50257
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-50257

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-50257/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.