CriticalCVE-2024-50302

    Linux Kernel Use of Uninitialized Resource Vulnerability (CVE-2024-50302)

    Published Last modified In CISA KEV since Sources: Siemens ProductCERT, Debian LTS, Red Hat, SUSE, BSI, OSV, Debian, pwn.watch, CVE.org, Msrc Update Guide, EUVD

    What is affected, what to do

    A vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's driver for Human Interface Devices. This flaw allows an attacker to use a malicious input device to read information from the report buffer.

    The vulnerability is being actively exploited; treat it as a priority. The available sources name no fixed version. Check the vendor guidance in the references below. Immediate actions, mitigation and detection rules are in the runbook below.

    Conflicting version data — version display is hidden until the data is resolved.

    Not sure whether and how you are affected? Ask a question about this vulnerability

    Metrics

    5.5

    Priority

    XIEM Effective CVSS: highest available CVSS rating from NVD and vendor data.

    Source: NVD, CVSS v3

    5.5

    CVSS v3

    Severity Medium on the scale from 0 to 10.

    Source: Siemens ProductCERT, Debian LTS, Red Hat, SUSE, BSI, OSV, Debian, pwn.watch, CVE.org, Msrc Update Guide, EUVD

    0.8 %

    EPSS score

    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.

    Source: FIRST EPSS, percentile 56.8

    Show all metrics
    Severity
    Critical
    Priority (0–325)

    The priority score is a consolidated metric that condenses several individual signals into a single, action-guiding ranking: technical severity (CVSS), exploitation likelihood (EPSS), known-exploited status (KEV) and the context of the affected asset. The aim is to answer the only truly important question in vulnerability management: what first?

    Read in glossary
    160.24 Methodology
    Exploit maturity

    An exploit is code or a technique that specifically uses a concrete vulnerability to force unintended behaviour — such as executing code or escalating privileges. It is the tool that turns a theoretical flaw into a practical attack.

    Read in glossary
    actively exploitedSource: VulnCheck KEV (opens in a new tab) How we classify
    XIEM Effective CVSS

    XIEM® is the tiered managed-security operating model from NEOSEC and a registered trademark of NEOSEC GmbH. It extends classic SIEM — the central collection, normalisation and correlation of security-relevant events — with endpoint forensics, network visibility and deception technology, and consolidates them into three building tiers: Sentry, Orchestrate and Command.

    Read in glossary
    5.5 Methodology
    CVSS v3

    CVSS is the globally established, open standard for assessing the technical severity of a vulnerability on a scale from 0 to 10. It describes how easily a flaw can be exploited and what damage it can cause — but not how likely its actual exploitation is. CVSS and the complementary EPSS deliberately answer different questions.

    Read in glossary
    5.5
    EPSS score

    The EPSS score is the absolute model output for an individual vulnerability: the estimated probability of real-world exploitation within the next 30 days, expressed as a value between 0 and 1 (i.e. 0 % to 100 %). A score of 0.42 means „the model estimates a 42 % chance of real-world exploitation within 30 days“.

    Read in glossary
    0.8 %
    Low — model estimates < 1% exploitation likelihood.
    EPSS percentile

    The EPSS percentile is the relative position of a vulnerability within all EPSS-scored CVEs, expressed as a value between 0 and 1. A percentile of 0.90 means „this CVE has a higher EPSS score than 90 % of all other scored CVEs“. Unlike the EPSS score, it is not a probability — but a positioning within a ranking.

    Read in glossary
    56.8
    High — this CVE ranks above the median of all CVEs scored today (rank ≥ 36%).
    KEV status

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited
    Published
    In CISA KEV since

    The KEV catalogue is a list maintained by the US authority CISA of vulnerabilities for which active exploitation in the wild has been confirmed. It answers not the question „how severe?“ but „is it already being attacked?“ — thereby sharply prioritising patching.

    Read in glossary
    CISA assessment (SSVC)
    Exploitation: active · not automatable · Technical impact: partial
    Source: CISA Vulnrichment, as of 5 March 2025
    CWE

    CWE is a catalogue of typical weakness types in software and hardware — such as flawed input validation, unsafe memory handling or poor authentication. Where a CVE names a concrete vulnerability in a concrete product, a CWE describes the underlying class of defect.

    Read in glossary
    CWE-908

    Response and mitigation

    Why act now?

    Prioritisation rationale

    On its own, this flaw only discloses kernel memory: it needs local access or a physically attached or paired HID device, and it affects confidentiality only. Its KEV listing reflects its value as a building block in exploit chains. The leaked memory supplies the address information needed to defeat KASLR and chain further kernel bugs, typically delivered by a malicious USB device against locked mobile devices an attacker has physical access to. CISA has not flagged ransomware use, and broad exploitation likelihood is moderate. Treat it as high priority for Android fleets, mobile devices used by travelling staff or holding sensitive data, kiosk/OT terminals and shared multi-user Linux hosts. For servers in physically secured datacentres, the standard KEV remediation window under your NIS2 vulnerability-management process is sufficient.

    1. Runbook step 1

      Immediate response (0-24 h)

      • Update the kernel and reboot: Fixed stable releases per the context are 4.19.324, 5.4.286, 5.10.230, 5.15.172, 6.1.117 and 6.6.61. For distribution kernels (RHEL, SLES, Debian, Ubuntu), a patch is available from the vendor; look up the exact package version in the vendor advisory. Confirm the running kernel with uname -r. The fix does not take effect until you reboot or apply a livepatch.
      • Prioritise Android and embedded Linux: Inventory mobile devices, thin clients, kiosks and industrial HMIs running a Linux kernel. Enforce the device vendor's security patch level via MDM, checking the required level in the vendor bulletin. Flag end-of-support devices as accepted or unaccepted risk.
      • Restrict physical access to unpatched devices: Do not leave unpatched laptops, phones or public-facing terminals unattended. Enforce short screen-lock timeouts and block USB data connections while locked via MDM policy, where the platform supports it.
      • Lock down /dev/uhid: On multi-user hosts, make sure only root or a dedicated group can open /dev/uhid (ls -l /dev/uhid). If there is no business need, unload and block the module: echo "install uhid /bin/false" > /etc/modprobe.d/disable-uhid.conf.
      • Disable Bluetooth HID on servers and kiosks: Run systemctl disable --now bluetooth wherever Bluetooth is not needed, so that nobody in radio range can inject crafted HID reports.

    2. Runbook step 2

      Mitigation layers

      • Device control (endpoint): Deploy USBGuard with an allowlist policy (usbguard generate-policy > rules.conf, default block). HID devices with unknown VID/PID are then rejected before hid-core parses any reports. Alternatively, boot with usbcore.authorized_default=0 and authorise devices explicitly.
      • Physical hardening: Disable unused USB ports in BIOS/UEFI, or lock them physically, on datacentre servers and OT systems. Set a firmware password and enable Secure Boot so these settings cannot easily be reset.
      • Kernel hardening against info-leak chaining: Set kernel.kptr_restrict=2, kernel.dmesg_restrict=1 and kernel.unprivileged_bpf_disabled=1. Use lockdown=confidentiality where feasible. This does not close the bug, but it makes it harder to chain the leak with other kernel flaws for privilege escalation.
      • IAM/least privilege: Tightly control interactive shell access on multi-user systems (jump hosts, build servers, HPC). Never run containers with --privileged or with /dev/uhid or /dev/hidraw* device mappings. In Kubernetes, enforce the Pod Security Admission restricted profile.
      • Mobile device management: Block USB data mode changes while the device is locked, and disable developer options and USB debugging. Use conditional access to cut devices that no longer receive security updates off from corporate data.

    3. Runbook step 3

      Detection rules

      • auditd – uhid access: -w /dev/uhid -p rwa -k uhid_access. Alert when the accessing exe is not on the allowlist (e.g. bluetoothd). SPL: index=linux sourcetype=linux_audit key=uhid_access NOT exe IN ("/usr/libexec/bluetooth/bluetoothd") | stats count by host, exe, auid.
      • Kernel log – new HID devices: Look for New USB device found followed by hid-generic or input: lines with unknown VID/PID, especially off-hours or while the device is locked. Example: journalctl -k | grep -E "New USB device found|hid-generic". Rapid repeated attach/detach of the same device suggests fuzzing or an exploit sequence.
      • USBGuard/udev telemetry: Forward USBGuard block/reject events to the SIEM. Sigma shape: logsource: product=linux, service=usbguard with condition event: block AND interface: "03:*:*" (HID class).
      • Follow-on privilege escalation: This leak is normally chained with other bugs. Watch for execve with euid=0 whose parent comes from an unprivileged user session (auditd: auid!=0 AND euid=0 without a sudo/su transition). EDR: process chains such as user shell → unknown binary → root shell.
      • Bluetooth pairing: Watch bluetoothd logs (journalctl -u bluetooth) for new HID pairings on servers and kiosks, which should never pair input devices.

    Detection rules

    No NEOSEC detection rule is available for this vulnerability yet.

    Classification under NIS2 and CRA

    Rule-based classification from exploitation status and severity. It does not replace a case-by-case assessment.

    NIS2

    NIS2 is EU Directive (EU) 2022/2555 to raise the level of cybersecurity across the Union. It substantially broadens obligations compared with the first NIS directive: more sectors, mandatory risk management, staged reporting duties and personal accountability of senior management.

    Read in glossary
    Actively exploited: treat the vulnerability as a priority in vulnerability handling under Art. 21(2)(e) NIS2. If it is exploited in your environment, check the reporting obligation under Art. 23 (early warning within 24 hours).
    CRA

    The CRA is EU Regulation (EU) 2024/2847 setting horizontal cybersecurity requirements for „products with digital elements“ — from industrial controllers and software to connected consumer devices. For the first time manufacturers must ensure security across the entire product lifecycle, handle vulnerabilities and provide security updates.

    Read in glossary
    Since 11.09.2026, manufacturers of affected products with digital elements must report actively exploited vulnerabilities under Art. 14 CRA, with an early warning within 24 hours via ENISA's single reporting platform.
    ISO/IEC 27001

    ISO/IEC 27001 is the internationally leading standard for an information security management system (ISMS). It describes a risk-based, process-oriented framework to systematically plan, implement, review and improve information security.

    Read in glossary
    Control A.8.8, management of technical vulnerabilities: assess relevance to your systems, plan remediation and keep evidence.

    Description

    A vulnerability was found in the Linux kernel's driver for Human Interface Devices. This flaw allows an attacker to use a malicious input device to read information from the report buffer. This could be used to leak kernel memory, enabling the exploitation of additional vulnerabilities.

    Source: siemens_advisory, Debian LTS Advisories, redhat_csaf, suse_csaf, BSI CSAF, BSI WID Portal, OSV (Open Source Vulnerabilities), Debian Security Advisories, pwn.watch, cvelistv5, NVD (NIST), Microsoft Security Update Guide, CISA KEV Catalog, ENISA EUVD, CVE.org (MITRE)

    Affected products

    The following versions are affected. Older releases of the same product line are also vulnerable unless stated otherwise.

    Affected products
    Affected versionsFixed in
    LinuxLinux
    • 6.7 – < 6.11.8
    • 5.16 – < 6.1.117
    • 3.12 – < 4.19.324
    • 3.11.5 – < 3.12
    • 4.20 – < 5.4.286
    • 6.2 – < 6.6.61
    • 3.10.16 – < 3.11
    • 5.11 – < 5.15.172
    • 5.5 – < 5.10.230
    • —
    • 6.11.8
    • 6.1.117
    • 4.19.324
    • 3.12
    • 5.4.286
    • 6.6.61
    • 3.11
    • 5.15.172
    • 5.10.230
    • 6.12
    android:linux_kernel:
    • Kernel
    • :0
    • —
    • :2025-03-05

    Vendors and products

    Affected operating systems

    Affected operating systems
    Linuxdebiandebian_linux11.0
    Linuxdebianlinuxbookworm
    Linuxdebianlinuxbullseye
    Linuxdebianlinux-6.1bullseye
    Linuxlinuxlinux_kernel6.12
    Linuxlinuxlinux_kernel—
    Mobilegoogleandroid—
    Othersiemenssimatic_s7-1500_tm_mfp_firmware—
    Othersiemenssinec_os—

    Weakness classes (CWE)

    • CWE-908Use of Uninitialized Resource

      Base

      The product uses or accesses a resource that has not been initialized.

      Entry at MITRE CWE-908

    Public exploit references

    Publicly reported proof-of-concepts, exploit modules and detection templates for this vulnerability. NEOSEC links to the original sources only and does not provide any exploit code.

    Public exploit references
    CISA KEV CatalogCISA Known Exploited Vulnerability (opens in a new tab)cisa.govactively exploited

    References & sources

    Changes to this CVE

    Who changed this CVE and when: NVD (analysis, affected products, CVSS), the CVE publisher (CNA) and additional providers such as CISA (ADP).

    1. Record modifiedLinux

      Show 24 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05ade5d4337867929e7ef664e7ac8e0c734f1aaf
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/177f25d1292c7e16e1199b39c85480f7f8815552
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1884ab3d22536a5c14b17c78c2ce76d1734e8b0b
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f9e88f2672c4635960570ee9741778d4135ecf5
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/492015e6249fbcd42138b49de3c588d826dd9648
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d9f5c75c0c7f31766ec27d90f7a6ac673193191
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7dc68d82ab3fcfc3f65322465da3d7031d4ab46
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e7ea60184e1e88a3c9e437b3265cbb6439aa7e26
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05ade5d4337867929e7ef664e7ac8e0c734f1aaf
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/177f25d1292c7e16e1199b39c85480f7f8815552
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1884ab3d22536a5c14b17c78c2ce76d1734e8b0b
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f9e88f2672c4635960570ee9741778d4135ecf5
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/492015e6249fbcd42138b49de3c588d826dd9648
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d9f5c75c0c7f31766ec27d90f7a6ac673193191
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7dc68d82ab3fcfc3f65322465da3d7031d4ab46
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e7ea60184e1e88a3c9e437b3265cbb6439aa7e26
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/05ade5d4337867929e7ef664e7ac8e0c734f1aaf Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/177f25d1292c7e16e1199b39c85480f7f8815552 Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/1884ab3d22536a5c14b17c78c2ce76d1734e8b0b Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3f9e88f2672c4635960570ee9741778d4135ecf5 Types: Patch
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      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/492015e6249fbcd42138b49de3c588d826dd9648 Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/9d9f5c75c0c7f31766ec27d90f7a6ac673193191 Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/d7dc68d82ab3fcfc3f65322465da3d7031d4ab46 Types: Patch
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/e7ea60184e1e88a3c9e437b3265cbb6439aa7e26 Types: Patch
      —

      Source identifier: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

    2. Record modifiedCISA ADP

      Show 3 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
      —
      https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-50302
      Referenceremoved
      https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-50302
      —
      Reference typeremoved
      https://www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog?field_cve=CVE-2024-50302 Types: US Government Resource
      —

      Source identifier: 134c704f-9b21-4f2e-91b3-4a467353bcc0

    3. Record modifiedCVE Program

      Show 6 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Referenceadded
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      https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html
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      https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00002.html
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      https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html
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      https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html Types: Mailing List
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00002.html Types: Mailing List
      —

      Source identifier: af854a3a-2127-422b-91ae-364da2661108

    4. Record modifiedSiemens ADP

      Show 7 original changes
      Individual changes of this event as published by NVD
      TypeActionBeforeAfter
      Affected versions (publisher)added
      —
      Affected value modified. <a href="https://github.com/CVEProject/cvelistV5/blob/main/cves/2024/50xxx/CVE-2024-50302.json">CVE-2024-50302</a>
      Referenceadded
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      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.html
      Referenceadded
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      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-355557.html
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      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.html
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      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-355557.html
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-265688.html Types: Third Party Advisory
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      Reference typeremoved
      https://cert-portal.siemens.com/productcert/html/ssa-355557.html Types: Third Party Advisory
      —

      Source identifier: 0b142b55-0307-4c5a-b3c9-f314f3fb7c5e

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