CVE-2024-57938

What it actually does

Integer overflow in sctp_association_init() when net.sctp.max_autoclose is set to UINT_MAX, allowing wraparound of autoclose timer calculations that default to INT_MAX / HZ.

Why it matters to the business

Linux systems using SCTP may experience unexpected association behavior or instability if administrators explicitly configure an extreme max_autoclose value; the flaw has low public exploitability and limited downstream impact outside specialized networking environments.

How an attack unfolds

An attacker with local privileges modifies the net.sctp.max_autoclose sysctl to UINT_MAX, then initiates an SCTP association to trigger the overflow during sctp_association_init(); no remote unauthenticated path exists.

How to fix it

Upgrade the Linux kernel to a version containing commit 94b7ed0a4896420988e1776942f0a3f67167873e; Red Hat OpenStack packages openstack-dashboard, openstack-dashboard-theme, python-django-horizon and python-django-horizon-doc require update to 0:2014.2.3-9.el7ost or later.

How to confirm the fix worked

Confirm presence of the listed commit in the running kernel source or verify package versions match the fixed releases; test that setting max_autoclose to UINT_MAX no longer produces overflow in sctp_association_init().

Typical attack path

1. Obtain local access or code execution on target Linux host
2. Write UINT_MAX to /proc/sys/net/sctp/max_autoclose
3. Trigger SCTP socket creation and association establishment
4. Observe resulting timer or memory handling anomaly from the overflow

How to detect it

Review kernel logs and audit records for SCTP association creation events immediately after sysctl changes to max_autoclose; correlate with any process that writes to /proc/sys/net/sctp.

What your security team should do

• Apply kernel and OpenStack package updates containing the referenced fixes at the earliest maintenance window
• Audit systems for non-default SCTP sysctl settings and restrict write access to net.sctp.* parameters
• Monitor upstream stable kernel releases for any follow-on SCTP hardening changes