CVE-2024-58072 wifi: rtlwifi: remove unused check_buddy_priv
A use-after-free vulnerability in the Linux kernel rtlwifi driver allows attackers to cause memory corruption or denial of service via device probing.
- 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
What is CVE-2024-58072?
CVE-2024-58072 is a high-severity use after free vulnerability in Linux kernel, published on 6 Mar 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:
wifi: rtlwifi: remove unused check_buddy_priv
Commit 2461c7d60f9f ("rtlwifi: Update header file") introduced a global list of private data structures.
Later on, commit 26634c4b1868 ("rtlwifi Modify existing bits to match vendor version 2013.02.07") started adding the private data to that list at probe time and added a hook, check_buddy_priv to find the private data from a similar device.
However, that function was never used.
Besides, though there is a lock for that list, it is never used. And when the probe fails, the private data is never removed from the list. This would cause a second probe to access freed memory.
Remove the unused hook, structures and members, which will prevent the potential race condition on the list and its corruption during a second probe when probe fails.
Weakness: CWE-416
Which versions are affected by CVE-2024-58072?
It affects 1 product.
Products include Linux kernel.
How do I fix CVE-2024-58072?
Apply the vendor's patch.
Upgrade to the fixed version. These bugs are found with fuzzing and sanitisers and avoided by memory-safe languages. More about Use after free.
Is CVE-2024-58072 being exploited?
There is no known exploitation of CVE-2024-58072 in the wild and no public exploit code.
Other vulnerabilities in Linux kernel
Sources
Also known as BELL-CVE-2024-58072, DEBIAN-CVE-2024-58072, GHSA-pjpx-9xrf-qmh6, ROOT-OS-UBUNTU-2404-CVE-2024-58072, UBUNTU-CVE-2024-58072.