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CVE-2024-42240

Vulnerability intelligence

Published Aug 7, 2024Sources checked Nov 11, 2026
5.5MEDIUMCVSS out of 10
What this means

Review the available evidence

CVE-2024-42240 and is rated Medium severity with a CVSS score of 5.5. It is not in the current CISA KEV record we collected. That does not prove exploitation has not occurred.

What to do next

Remediation and response

Microsoft Security Response Center guidance

Vendor revision: Aug 12, 2026

CBL-Mariner Releases

Vendor-listed releases

  • 5.15.167.1-1
  • 6.6.43.1-7
CISA KEVNot listedBased on the latest collected catalog
EPSS0.2%Estimated 30-day exploitation probability
Ransomware useNot markedCISA KEV ransomware field
Threat actors0Source-linked actor relationships
Overview

What is CVE-2024-42240?

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:

x86/bhi: Avoid warning in #DB handler due to BHI mitigation

When BHI mitigation is enabled, if SYSENTER is invoked with the TF flag set then entry_SYSENTER_compat() uses CLEAR_BRANCH_HISTORY and calls the clear_bhb_loop() before the TF flag is cleared. This causes the #DB handler (exc_debug_kernel()) to issue a warning because single-step is used outside the entry_SYSENTER_compat() function.

To address this issue, entry_SYSENTER_compat() should use CLEAR_BRANCH_HISTORY after making sure the TF flag is cleared.

The problem can be reproduced with the following sequence:

$ cat sysenter_step.c int main() { asm("pushf; pop %ax; bts $8,%ax; push %ax; popf; sysenter"); }

$ gcc -o sysenter_step sysenter_step.c

$ ./sysenter_step Segmentation fault (core dumped)

The program is expected to crash, and the #DB handler will issue a warning.

Kernel log:

WARNING: CPU: 27 PID: 7000 at arch/x86/kernel/traps.c:1009 exc_debug_kernel+0xd2/0x160 ... RIP: 0010:exc_debug_kernel+0xd2/0x160 ...

Call Trace: <#DB> ? show_regs+0x68/0x80 ? __warn+0x8c/0x140 ? exc_debug_kernel+0xd2/0x160 ? report_bug+0x175/0x1a0 ? handle_bug+0x44/0x90 ? exc_invalid_op+0x1c/0x70 ? asm_exc_invalid_op+0x1f/0x30 ? exc_debug_kernel+0xd2/0x160 exc_debug+0x43/0x50 asm_exc_debug+0x1e/0x40 RIP: 0010:clear_bhb_loop+0x0/0xb0 ... </#DB> <TASK> ? entry_SYSENTER_compat_after_hwframe+0x6e/0x8d </TASK>

[ bp: Massage commit message. ]

Source: NVD