# CVE-2024-56772: kunit: string-stream: Fix a UAF bug in kunit_init_suite()

> A use-after-free bug in the Linux kernel's KUnit string-stream module can cause a kernel crash during test suite initialization.

- **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:** 8 Jan 2025
- **Updated:** 11 May 2026
- **Also known as:** BELL-CVE-2024-56772, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-56772, GHSA-v6xw-pf6j-mpfg, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-56772

## What is CVE-2024-56772?

CVE-2024-56772 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 Jan 2025. 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:

kunit: string-stream: Fix a UAF bug in kunit_init_suite()

In kunit_debugfs_create_suite(), if alloc_string_stream() fails in the
kunit_suite_for_each_test_case() loop, the "suite->log = stream"
has assigned before, and the error path only free the suite->log's stream
memory but not set it to NULL, so the later string_stream_clear() of
suite->log in kunit_init_suite() will cause below UAF bug.

Set stream pointer to NULL after free to fix it.

	Unable to handle kernel paging request at virtual address 006440150000030d
	Mem abort info:
	  ESR = 0x0000000096000004
	  EC = 0x25: DABT (current EL), IL = 32 bits
	  SET = 0, FnV = 0
	  EA = 0, S1PTW = 0
	  FSC = 0x04: level 0 translation fault
	Data abort info:
	  ISV = 0, ISS = 0x00000004, ISS2 = 0x00000000
	  CM = 0, WnR = 0, TnD = 0, TagAccess = 0
	  GCS = 0, Overlay = 0, DirtyBit = 0, Xs = 0
	[006440150000030d] address between user and kernel address ranges
	Internal error: Oops: 0000000096000004 [#1] PREEMPT SMP
	Dumping ftrace buffer:
	   (ftrace buffer empty)
	Modules linked in: iio_test_gts industrialio_gts_helper cfg80211 rfkill ipv6 [last unloaded: iio_test_gts]
	CPU: 5 UID: 0 PID: 6253 Comm: modprobe Tainted: G    B   W        N 6.12.0-rc4+ #458
	Tainted: [B]=BAD_PAGE, [W]=WARN, [N]=TEST
	Hardware name: linux,dummy-virt (DT)
	pstate: 40000005 (nZcv daif -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
	pc : string_stream_clear+0x54/0x1ac
	lr : string_stream_clear+0x1a8/0x1ac
	sp : ffffffc080b47410
	x29: ffffffc080b47410 x28: 006440550000030d x27: ffffff80c96b5e98
	x26: ffffff80c96b5e80 x25: ffffffe461b3f6c0 x24: 0000000000000003
	x23: ffffff80c96b5e88 x22: 1ffffff019cdf4fc x21: dfffffc000000000
	x20: ffffff80ce6fa7e0 x19: 032202a80000186d x18: 0000000000001840
	x17: 0000000000000000 x16: 0000000000000000 x15: ffffffe45c355cb4
	x14: ffffffe45c35589c x13: ffffffe45c03da78 x12: ffffffb810168e75
	x11: 1ffffff810168e74 x10: ffffffb810168e74 x9 : dfffffc000000000
	x8 : 0000000000000004 x7 : 0000000000000003 x6 : 0000000000000001
	x5 : ffffffc080b473a0 x4 : 0000000000000000 x3 : 0000000000000000
	x2 : 0000000000000001 x1 : ffffffe462fbf620 x0 : dfffffc000000000
	Call trace:
	 string_stream_clear+0x54/0x1ac
	 __kunit_test_suites_init+0x108/0x1d8
	 kunit_exec_run_tests+0xb8/0x100
	 kunit_module_notify+0x400/0x55c
	 notifier_call_chain+0xfc/0x3b4
	 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x68/0x9c
	 do_init_module+0x24c/0x5c8
	 load_module+0x4acc/0x4e90
	 init_module_from_file+0xd4/0x128
	 idempotent_init_module+0x2d4/0x57c
	 __arm64_sys_finit_module+0xac/0x100
	 invoke_syscall+0x6c/0x258
	 el0_svc_common.constprop.0+0x160/0x22c
	 do_el0_svc+0x44/0x5c
	 el0_svc+0x48/0xb8
	 el0t_64_sync_handler+0x13c/0x158
	 el0t_64_sync+0x190/0x194
	Code: f9400753 d2dff800 f2fbffe0 d343fe7c (38e06b80)
	---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
	Kernel panic - not syncing: Oops: Fatal exception

Weakness: CWE-416 (Use After Free)

## Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-56772?

It affects 1 product.


Products: Linux kernel.

## How do I fix CVE-2024-56772?

Apply the vendor's patch.

## Is CVE-2024-56772 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-56772 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-2024-56772 and fix it if it is affected.

What it is: CVE-2024-56772 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 8 Jan 2025. 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-2024-56772 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-2024-56772/ (Markdown: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56772/index.md)
```

## Sources

- CVE record: https://www.cve.org/CVERecord?id=CVE-2024-56772
- NVD: https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2024-56772
- OSV: https://osv.dev/vulnerability/CVE-2024-56772

---
From sbomify Insights: https://insights.sbomify.com/CVE-2024-56772/
Summaries are generated and may contain mistakes; the official description above is the record.
