Linux Kernel Vulnerability in ARM Architecture Related to Ptrace Functionality

CVE-2024-57878

Summary

A vulnerability in the Linux kernel's ARM architecture related to the ptrace function has been identified. The issue arises when the fpmr_set function fails to properly initialize a temporary variable, leading to a scenario where an arbitrary value can be written back to the target process's fpmr register. This can potentially leak up to 64 bits of sensitive memory from the kernel stack when a SETREGSET call with a zero length is executed. To mitigate this, the temporary value is now initialized correctly prior to any regset copying, ensuring that existing FPMR contents remain intact during zero-length writes.

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