CVE-2024-38541: 
Linux Kernel vulnerability analysis and mitigation

CVE-2024-38541 affects the Linux kernel's of_modalias() function in the device tree module. The vulnerability was discovered and disclosed on June 19, 2024. The issue occurs when the buffer is too small for the first snprintf() call, causing the len parameter to become negative and the str parameter to point beyond the buffer's end (NVD).

The vulnerability is a buffer overflow condition in the of_modalias() function within the Linux kernel's device tree module. The issue arises when the buffer size is insufficient for the first snprintf() call, leading to a negative len parameter and potential buffer overflow. The CVSS v3.1 base score is 9.8 (CRITICAL) with vector: AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H (NVD).

If exploited, this buffer overflow vulnerability could lead to memory corruption, potentially allowing attackers to execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service conditions in affected Linux kernel versions (NVD).

The vulnerability has been patched by adding buffer overflow checks after the first snprintf() call and fixing the check after the strlen() call. The fix accounts for the terminating NUL character. Updates are available in various Linux distributions, including Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and RHEL-based systems (Ubuntu).