CVE-2024-35848

What it actually does

Race condition in Linux kernel at24 EEPROM driver causes nvmem device registration before failure handling, leading to use of invalid memory when another driver accesses it post-teardown on inaccessible EEPROM.

Why it matters to the business

Linux systems using affected EEPROM drivers may experience instability, crashes, or memory corruption in embedded or device environments, with patching required across kernel deployments despite low observed exploitation.

How an attack unfolds

An inaccessible EEPROM triggers premature nvmem registration followed by read failure and teardown; subsequent access by another driver references freed or invalid memory. Threat actor context includes Android kernel-related remote code execution attempts that could leverage similar memory issues in kernel subsystems.

How to fix it

Update Linux kernel to include commit c850f71fca09ea41800ed55905980063d17e01da or later stable versions that move failure handling before nvmem registration.

How to confirm the fix worked

Verify kernel source contains the fix commit c850f71fca09ea41800ed55905980063d17e01da and test EEPROM access paths under failure conditions to confirm no post-teardown references occur.

Typical attack path

1. Trigger condition where target EEPROM hardware is inaccessible
2. at24 driver registers nvmem device before checking accessibility
3. Read operation fails leading to device teardown
4. Concurrent or subsequent driver access references invalid memory structures
5. Resulting memory corruption or crash

How to detect it

Review kernel logs for at24 and nvmem registration or teardown messages around EEPROM access failures; search for references to invalid memory accesses in dmesg or oops reports following device driver interactions.

What your security team should do

• Apply kernel update containing the referenced fix commit immediately on affected systems
• Monitor for downstream kernel dependents and rebuild custom images
• Audit device trees and drivers relying on at24 nvmem for safe access patterns