CVE-2024-26971

What it actually does

Missing terminating empty element in frequency table arrays allows out-of-bounds access during traversal by qcom_find_freq() and similar functions, enabling memory corruption.

Why it matters to the business

Kernel instability or crashes on affected Qualcomm IPQ5018-based systems can disrupt network equipment and embedded devices, with urgency low given absence from exploitation lists and minimal predicted exploit probability.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local access triggers repeated clock frequency lookups that walk past the end of an unterminated table, potentially reading adjacent kernel memory and causing corruption or crashes.

How to fix it

Apply the kernel patch from commit b0cf3d200e8a72b6d28e6e088c062b4a98cb5eaf or upgrade to a stable tree containing the fix for gcc-ipq5018 frequency tables.

How to confirm the fix worked

Inspect the gcc-ipq5018 frequency table definitions to confirm each array ends with an empty sentinel entry and verify the commit is present in the running kernel source.

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local code execution or shell access on a vulnerable Linux system
2. Manipulate clock controller operations to invoke frequency search functions
3. Trigger repeated traversals of the incomplete frequency tables
4. Observe or exploit resulting out-of-bounds memory reads

How to detect it

Review kernel logs for oops or panic messages involving qcom_find_freq or gcc-ipq5018 clock tables; no public exploit artifacts are known.

What your security team should do

• Patch affected kernels to the fixed commit within standard maintenance windows
• Monitor for kernel oops or panic reports referencing clock or frequency table code
• Limit untrusted local access on IPQ5018-based devices until patched