# CVE-2024-53174: SUNRPC: make sure cache entry active before cache_show

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel SUNRPC module can cause a system crash when reading cache entries.

- **Severity:** High 7.8 (`CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/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:** 27 Dec 2024
- **Updated:** 5 Aug 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-53174, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-53174, GHSA-2xg4-wc7m-f6pq, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-53174

## What is CVE-2024-53174?

CVE-2024-53174 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 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:

SUNRPC: make sure cache entry active before cache_show

The function `c_show` was called with protection from RCU. This only
ensures that `cp` will not be freed. Therefore, the reference count for
`cp` can drop to zero, which will trigger a refcount use-after-free
warning when `cache_get` is called. To resolve this issue, use
`cache_get_rcu` to ensure that `cp` remains active.

------------[ cut here ]------------
refcount_t: addition on 0; use-after-free.
WARNING: CPU: 7 PID: 822 at lib/refcount.c:25
refcount_warn_saturate+0xb1/0x120
CPU: 7 UID: 0 PID: 822 Comm: cat Not tainted 6.12.0-rc3+ #1
Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (i440FX + PIIX, 1996), BIOS
1.16.1-2.fc37 04/01/2014
RIP: 0010:refcount_warn_saturate+0xb1/0x120

Call Trace:
 <TASK>
 c_show+0x2fc/0x380 [sunrpc]
 seq_read_iter+0x589/0x770
 seq_read+0x1e5/0x270
 proc_reg_read+0xe1/0x140
 vfs_read+0x125/0x530
 ksys_read+0xc1/0x160
 do_syscall_64+0x5f/0x170
 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-53174?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-53174?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-53174 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-53174 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-2024-53174 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-53174 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 27 Dec 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-2024-53174 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-2024-53174/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53174/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-53174
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-53174
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-53174

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-53174/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.