# CVE-2024-56548: hfsplus: don't query the device logical block size multiple times

> A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel's HFS+ filesystem allows attackers to cause memory corruption and potential code execution via crafted block size changes.

- **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-2024-56548, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-56548, GHSA-64p7-wm49-vgg4, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-56548

## What is CVE-2024-56548?

CVE-2024-56548 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:

hfsplus: don't query the device logical block size multiple times

Devices block sizes may change. One of these cases is a loop device by
using ioctl LOOP_SET_BLOCK_SIZE.

While this may cause other issues like IO being rejected, in the case of
hfsplus, it will allocate a block by using that size and potentially write
out-of-bounds when hfsplus_read_wrapper calls hfsplus_submit_bio and the
latter function reads a different io_size.

Using a new min_io_size initally set to sb_min_blocksize works for the
purposes of the original fix, since it will be set to the max between
HFSPLUS_SECTOR_SIZE and the first seen logical block size. We still use the
max between HFSPLUS_SECTOR_SIZE and min_io_size in case the latter is not
initialized.

Tested by mounting an hfsplus filesystem with loop block sizes 512, 1024
and 4096.

The produced KASAN report before the fix looks like this:

[  419.944641] ==================================================================
[  419.945655] BUG: KASAN: slab-use-after-free in hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a
[  419.946703] Read of size 2 at addr ffff88800721fc00 by task repro/10678
[  419.947612]
[  419.947846] CPU: 0 UID: 0 PID: 10678 Comm: repro Not tainted 6.12.0-rc5-00008-gdf56e0f2f3ca #84
[  419.949007] Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS 1.15.0-1 04/01/2014
[  419.950035] Call Trace:
[  419.950384]  <TASK>
[  419.950676]  dump_stack_lvl+0x57/0x78
[  419.951212]  ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a
[  419.951830]  print_report+0x14c/0x49e
[  419.952361]  ? __virt_addr_valid+0x267/0x278
[  419.952979]  ? kmem_cache_debug_flags+0xc/0x1d
[  419.953561]  ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a
[  419.954231]  kasan_report+0x89/0xb0
[  419.954748]  ? hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a
[  419.955367]  hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x659/0xa0a
[  419.955948]  ? __pfx_hfsplus_read_wrapper+0x10/0x10
[  419.956618]  ? do_raw_spin_unlock+0x59/0x1a9
[  419.957214]  ? _raw_spin_unlock+0x1a/0x2e
[  419.957772]  hfsplus_fill_super+0x348/0x1590
[  419.958355]  ? hlock_class+0x4c/0x109
[  419.958867]  ? __pfx_hfsplus_fill_super+0x10/0x10
[  419.959499]  ? __pfx_string+0x10/0x10
[  419.960006]  ? lock_acquire+0x3e2/0x454
[  419.960532]  ? bdev_name.constprop.0+0xce/0x243
[  419.961129]  ? __pfx_bdev_name.constprop.0+0x10/0x10
[  419.961799]  ? pointer+0x3f0/0x62f
[  419.962277]  ? __pfx_pointer+0x10/0x10
[  419.962761]  ? vsnprintf+0x6c4/0xfba
[  419.963178]  ? __pfx_vsnprintf+0x10/0x10
[  419.963621]  ? setup_bdev_super+0x376/0x3b3
[  419.964029]  ? snprintf+0x9d/0xd2
[  419.964344]  ? __pfx_snprintf+0x10/0x10
[  419.964675]  ? lock_acquired+0x45c/0x5e9
[  419.965016]  ? set_blocksize+0x139/0x1c1
[  419.965381]  ? sb_set_blocksize+0x6d/0xae
[  419.965742]  ? __pfx_hfsplus_fill_super+0x10/0x10
[  419.966179]  mount_bdev+0x12f/0x1bf
[  419.966512]  ? __pfx_mount_bdev+0x10/0x10
[  419.966886]  ? vfs_parse_fs_string+0xce/0x111
[  419.967293]  ? __pfx_vfs_parse_fs_string+0x10/0x10
[  419.967702]  ? __pfx_hfsplus_mount+0x10/0x10
[  419.968073]  legacy_get_tree+0x104/0x178
[  419.968414]  vfs_get_tree+0x86/0x296
[  419.968751]  path_mount+0xba3/0xd0b
[  419.969157]  ? __pfx_path_mount+0x10/0x10
[  419.969594]  ? kmem_cache_free+0x1e2/0x260
[  419.970311]  do_mount+0x99/0xe0
[  419.970630]  ? __pfx_do_mount+0x10/0x10
[  419.971008]  __do_sys_mount+0x199/0x1c9
[  419.971397]  do_syscall_64+0xd0/0x135
[  419.971761]  entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e
[  419.972233] RIP: 0033:0x7c3cb812972e
[  419.972564] Code: 48 8b 0d f5 46 0d 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48 83 c8 ff c3 66 2e 0f 1f 84 00 00 00 00 00 90 f3 0f 1e fa 49 89 ca b8 a5 00 00 00 0f 05 <48> 3d 01 f0 ff ff 73 01 c3 48 8b 0d c2 46 0d 00 f7 d8 64 89 01 48
[  419.974371] RSP: 002b:00007ffe30632548 EFLAGS: 00000286 ORIG_RAX: 00000000000000a5
[  419.975048] RAX: ffffffffffffffda RBX: 00007ffe306328d8 RCX: 00007c3cb812972e
[  419.975701] RDX: 0000000020000000 RSI: 0000000020000c80 RDI:
---truncated---

Weakness: CWE-787 (Out-of-bounds Write)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-56548?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-56548?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-56548 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-56548 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-2024-56548 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-56548 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-2024-56548 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-2024-56548/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56548/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-56548
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56548
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-56548

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56548/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
