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linux — security advisory

Type: advisorySources: OSVAdvisory ID: DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86: stop playing stack games in profile_pc() The 'profile_pc()' function is used for timer-based profiling, which isn't really all that relevant any more to begin with, but it also ends up making assumptions based on the stack layout that aren't necessarily valid. Basically, the code tries to account the time spent in spinlocks to the caller rather than the spinlock, and while I support that as a concept, it's not worth the code complexity or the KASAN warnings when no serious profiling is done using timers anyway these days. And the code really does depend on stack layout that is only true in the simplest of cases. We've lost the comment at some point (I think when the 32-bit and 64-bit code was unified), but it used to say: Assume the lock function has either no stack frame or a copy of eflags from PUSHF. which explains why it just blindly loads a word or two straight off the stack pointer and then takes a minimal look at the values to just check if they might be eflags or the return pc: Eflags always has bits 22 and up cleared unlike kernel addresses but that basic stack layout assumption assumes that there isn't any lock debugging etc going on that would complicate the code and cause a stack frame. It causes KASAN unhappiness reported for years by syzkaller [1] and others [2]. With no real practical reason for this any more, just remove the code. Just for historical interest, here's some background commi

Products
linux
Affected versions
6.1.27-1, 6.1.37-1, 6.1.38-1, 6.1.38-2, 6.1.38-2~bpo11+1, 6.1.38-3, 6.1.38-4, 6.1.38-4~bpo11+1, 6.1.52-1, 6.1.55-1, 6.1.55-1~bpo11+1, 6.1.64-1, 6.1.66-1, 6.1.67-1, 6.1.69-1, 6.1.69-1~bpo11+1, 6.1.76-1, 6.1.76-1~bpo11+1, 6.1.82-1, 6.1.85-1, 6.1.90-1, 6.1.90-1~bpo11+1, 6.1.94-1, 6.1.94-1~bpo11+1
Fixed versions
6.1.98-1, 6.9.8-1
CVEs
CVE-2024-42096
Confirmed fixed CVEs
Not specified
Updated in this feed
30 Oct 2026, 16:16 UTC · Revision 1

Source evidence

DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096

core-osv · Original source

Published 29 Jul 2024, 18:15 UTC

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86: stop playing stack games in profile_pc() The 'profile_pc()' function is used for timer-based profiling, which isn't really all that relevant any more to begin with, but it also ends up making assumptions based on the stack layout that aren't necessarily valid. Basically, the code tries to account the time spent in spinlocks to the caller rather than the spinlock, and while I support that as a concept, it's not worth the code complexity or the KASAN warnings when no serious profiling is done using timers anyway these days. And the code really does depend on stack layout that is only true in the simplest of cases. We've lost the comment at some point (I think when the 32-bit and 64-bit code was unified), but it used to say: Assume the lock function has either no stack frame or a copy of eflags from PUSHF. which explains why it just blindly loads a word or two straight off the stack pointer and then takes a minimal look at the values to just check if they might be eflags or the return pc: Eflags always has bits 22 and up cleared unlike kernel addresses but that basic stack layout assumption assumes that there isn't any lock debugging etc going on that would complicate the code and cause a stack frame. It causes KASAN unhappiness reported for years by syzkaller [1] and others [2]. With no real practical reason for this any more, just remove the code. Just for historical interest, here's some background commi

osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096

linux

Fixed versions: 6.1.98-1

linux

Fixed versions: 6.9.8-1

linux

Fixed versions: 6.9.8-1

Complete source record
{
  "id": "82ca9cba4e66a53009d619e921c5985cf6c84615c2083bf9be1e1cf5701f8b00",
  "url": "https://osv.dev/vulnerability/DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096",
  "method": "structured",
  "payload": {
    "kind": "advisory",
    "title": "DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096",
    "summary": "In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: x86: stop playing stack games in profile_pc() The 'profile_pc()' function is used for timer-based profiling, which isn't really all that relevant any more to begin with, but it also ends up making assumptions based on the stack layout that aren't necessarily valid. Basically, the code tries to account the time spent in spinlocks to the caller rather than the spinlock, and while I support that as a concept, it's not worth the code complexity or the KASAN warnings when no serious profiling is done using timers anyway these days. And the code really does depend on stack layout that is only true in the simplest of cases. We've lost the comment at some point (I think when the 32-bit and 64-bit code was unified), but it used to say: Assume the lock function has either no stack frame or a copy of eflags from PUSHF. which explains why it just blindly loads a word or two straight off the stack pointer and then takes a minimal look at the values to just check if they might be eflags or the return pc: Eflags always has bits 22 and up cleared unlike kernel addresses but that basic stack layout assumption assumes that there isn't any lock debugging etc going on that would complicate the code and cause a stack frame. It causes KASAN unhappiness reported for years by syzkaller [1] and others [2]. With no real practical reason for this any more, just remove the code. Just for historical interest, here's some background commi",
    "evidence": "osv:DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096",
    "products": [
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/0/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.1.98-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.1.27-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.37-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-2",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-2~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-3",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-4",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.38-4~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.52-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.55-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.55-1~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.64-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.66-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.67-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.69-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.69-1~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.76-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.76-1~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.82-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.85-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.90-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.90-1~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.94-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          },
          {
            "value": "6.1.94-1~bpo11+1",
            "evidence": "/affected/0/versions"
          }
        ]
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/1/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.9.8-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/1/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      },
      {
        "name": {
          "value": "linux",
          "evidence": "/affected/2/package/name"
        },
        "prerequisites": [],
        "fixed_versions": [
          {
            "value": "6.9.8-1",
            "evidence": "/affected/2/ranges"
          }
        ],
        "affected_versions": []
      }
    ],
    "severity": "medium",
    "structured": {
      "id": "DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096",
      "aliases": [
        "DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096"
      ],
      "metrics": [
        {
          "type": "CVSS_V3",
          "score": "CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H"
        }
      ],
      "affected": [
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.1.98-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=bookworm",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:12"
          },
          "versions": [
            "6.1.27-1",
            "6.1.37-1",
            "6.1.38-1",
            "6.1.38-2",
            "6.1.38-2~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.38-3",
            "6.1.38-4",
            "6.1.38-4~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.52-1",
            "6.1.55-1",
            "6.1.55-1~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.64-1",
            "6.1.66-1",
            "6.1.67-1",
            "6.1.69-1",
            "6.1.69-1~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.76-1",
            "6.1.76-1~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.82-1",
            "6.1.85-1",
            "6.1.90-1",
            "6.1.90-1~bpo11+1",
            "6.1.94-1",
            "6.1.94-1~bpo11+1"
          ],
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.9.8-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=trixie",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:13"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        },
        {
          "ranges": [
            {
              "type": "ECOSYSTEM",
              "events": [
                {
                  "introduced": "0"
                },
                {
                  "fixed": "6.9.8-1"
                }
              ]
            }
          ],
          "package": {
            "name": "linux",
            "purl": "pkg:deb/debian/linux?arch=source&distro=forky",
            "ecosystem": "Debian:14"
          },
          "database_specific": {
            "source": "https://storage.googleapis.com/debian-osv/debian-cve-osv/DEBIAN-CVE-2024-42096.json"
          },
          "ecosystem_specific": {
            "urgency": "not yet assigned"
          }
        }
      ],
      "modified": "2026-10-15T09:47:27.526205007Z",
      "provider": "osv",
      "upstream": [
        "CVE-2024-42096"
      ],
      "references": [
        "https://security-tracker.debian.org/tracker/CVE-2024-42096"
      ]
    },
    "related_cves": [
      {
        "value": "CVE-2024-42096",
        "evidence": "/upstream"
      }
    ],
    "security_relevant": true,
    "severity_evidence": "/severity/0/score"
  },
  "source_id": "core-osv",
  "document_id": 327351,
  "published_at": "2024-07-29T18:15:12.087+00:00"
}