# CVE-2024-53042: ipv4: ip_tunnel: Fix suspicious RCU usage warning in ip_tunnel_init_flow()

> A missing RCU lock in the Linux kernel IP tunnel code can trigger a warning and potential instability, requiring a kernel patch.

- **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:** 19 Nov 2024
- **Updated:** 15 Oct 2026
- **Also known as:** AZL-53900, BELL-CVE-2024-53042, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-53042, GHSA-pp55-x3vr-94gx, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-53042

## What is CVE-2024-53042?

CVE-2024-53042 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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:

ipv4: ip_tunnel: Fix suspicious RCU usage warning in ip_tunnel_init_flow()

There are code paths from which the function is called without holding
the RCU read lock, resulting in a suspicious RCU usage warning [1].

Fix by using l3mdev_master_upper_ifindex_by_index() which will acquire
the RCU read lock before calling
l3mdev_master_upper_ifindex_by_index_rcu().

[1]
WARNING: suspicious RCU usage
6.12.0-rc3-custom-gac8f72681cf2 #141 Not tainted
-----------------------------
net/core/dev.c:876 RCU-list traversed in non-reader section!!

other info that might help us debug this:

rcu_scheduler_active = 2, debug_locks = 1
1 lock held by ip/361:
 #0: ffffffff86fc7cb0 (rtnl_mutex){+.+.}-{3:3}, at: rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x377/0xf60

stack backtrace:
CPU: 3 UID: 0 PID: 361 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.12.0-rc3-custom-gac8f72681cf2 #141
Hardware name: Bochs Bochs, BIOS Bochs 01/01/2011
Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 dump_stack_lvl+0xba/0x110
 lockdep_rcu_suspicious.cold+0x4f/0xd6
 dev_get_by_index_rcu+0x1d3/0x210
 l3mdev_master_upper_ifindex_by_index_rcu+0x2b/0xf0
 ip_tunnel_bind_dev+0x72f/0xa00
 ip_tunnel_newlink+0x368/0x7a0
 ipgre_newlink+0x14c/0x170
 __rtnl_newlink+0x1173/0x19c0
 rtnl_newlink+0x6c/0xa0
 rtnetlink_rcv_msg+0x3cc/0xf60
 netlink_rcv_skb+0x171/0x450
 netlink_unicast+0x539/0x7f0
 netlink_sendmsg+0x8c1/0xd80
 ____sys_sendmsg+0x8f9/0xc20
 ___sys_sendmsg+0x197/0x1e0
 __sys_sendmsg+0x122/0x1f0
 do_syscall_64+0xbb/0x1d0
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x77/0x7f

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-53042?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-53042?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-53042 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53042 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-2024-53042 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-53042 is a medium-severity vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 19 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-2024-53042 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-2024-53042/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53042/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-53042
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-53042
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-53042

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53042/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.