Linux · Linux Kernel · CVE-2024-38602
**Name of the Vulnerable Software and Affected Versions**
Linux kernel (affected versions not specified)
**Description**
A memory leak issue has been identified in the Linux kernel, specifically in the ax25 module. The issue arises from reference count leaks in the `ax25 addr ax25dev()` and `ax25 dev device down()` functions, which can cause a memory leak. The reference count of the object `ax25 dev` can be increased multiple times in `ax25 addr ax25dev()`, leading to a memory leak. Similarly, in `ax25 dev device down()`, the reference count of `ax25 dev` is set to 1 and then increased when added to `ax25 dev list`, resulting in a reference count of 2. However, when the device is shutting down, `ax25 dev device down()` drops the reference count once or twice, depending on the circumstances, causing a memory leak. To resolve this issue, a break has been added in `ax25 addr ax25dev()` since it is impossible for one pointer to be on a list twice. Additionally, the reference count of `ax25 dev` is increased once in `ax25 dev device up()` and decreased after it is removed from `ax25 dev list`.
**Recommendations**
At the moment, there is no information about a newer version that contains a fix for this vulnerability.