CVE-2024-1298: EDK2 Division-By-Zero DoS Vulnerability

CVE-2024-1298 Overview

CVE-2024-1298 affects EDK2, the open-source UEFI firmware reference implementation maintained by TianoCore. The vulnerability occurs when S3 sleep is activated, allowing a local attacker with high privileges to trigger a division-by-zero condition caused by a UINT32 integer overflow. Successful exploitation results in a loss of availability on the affected system. The flaw is tracked under [CWE-369: Divide By Zero] and was published to the National Vulnerability Database on May 30, 2024.

Critical Impact
A local, authenticated attacker can crash the firmware during S3 sleep transitions, producing a denial-of-service condition affecting platform availability.

Affected Products

TianoCore EDK2 (UEFI reference implementation)
Fedora distributions shipping vulnerable edk2 packages
Debian LTS systems shipping vulnerable edk2 packages
NetApp products bundling affected EDK2 firmware components (per NetApp Security Advisory)

Discovery Timeline

2024-05-30 - CVE-2024-1298 published to NVD
2026-04-15 - Last updated in NVD database

Technical Details for CVE-2024-1298

Vulnerability Analysis

The vulnerability resides in EDK2 code paths exercised when the system enters or resumes from Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) S3 sleep. During S3 handling, an arithmetic computation on a 32-bit unsigned integer (UINT32) overflows and wraps to zero. The wrapped value is then used as a divisor in a subsequent calculation, producing a division-by-zero fault that halts firmware execution.

Because the flaw triggers inside the firmware, the result is not a controlled exception that user-mode software can catch. The platform aborts the S3 transition, which manifests as a hang or forced reset. Exploitation requires local access and high-privilege execution context, limiting reach but eliminating any need for user interaction.

Root Cause

The root cause is missing validation of intermediate arithmetic results before the value is consumed as a divisor. The UINT32 operand is not checked against the bounds that would prevent wraparound, and the divisor is not validated to be non-zero before the division operation. This pattern aligns with [CWE-369] and is commonly introduced when developers assume input ranges remain within representable limits.

Attack Vector

The attack vector is local. An attacker who already holds high privileges on the platform triggers an S3 sleep cycle while supplying or influencing data that drives the vulnerable arithmetic path. The scope is changed because firmware-level impact extends beyond the calling component into the platform's availability state. Refer to the GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-chfw-xj8f-6m53 for the upstream technical description.

No verified proof-of-concept code is publicly available for CVE-2024-1298.
See the TianoCore advisory for technical details of the vulnerable code path.

Detection Methods for CVE-2024-1298

Indicators of Compromise

Unexpected platform hangs, resets, or failed wake events tied to ACPI S3 sleep transitions
Firmware or kernel logs indicating divide-by-zero faults during suspend or resume
Repeated S3 failure events on systems running unpatched EDK2-based firmware

Detection Strategies

Inventory firmware versions across the fleet and compare against patched EDK2 releases referenced in the TianoCore advisory
Correlate suspend/resume failure telemetry with privileged local user activity on the same host
Audit which accounts hold the privileges required to influence power-state transitions on critical hosts

Monitoring Recommendations

Forward kernel pm-suspend, systemd-logind, and ACPI event logs to a centralized logging system for anomaly review
Alert on repeated abnormal terminations of S3 transitions on the same endpoint
Track installation of distribution edk2 package updates from Fedora and Debian LTS advisories

How to Mitigate CVE-2024-1298

Immediate Actions Required

Apply firmware and edk2 package updates from your platform vendor or Linux distribution
Restrict local high-privilege access on systems that have not yet received the patch
Identify hosts that rely on S3 sleep and prioritize them in the patch rollout

Patch Information

Upstream fixes are tracked in the TianoCore GitHub Security Advisory GHSA-chfw-xj8f-6m53. Distribution updates are available from Fedora and Debian LTS. NetApp customers should consult the NetApp Security Advisory NTAP-20250306-0002 for product-specific guidance.

Workarounds

Disable S3 sleep on affected platforms until firmware updates are applied, where operationally feasible
Limit the set of local accounts holding administrative privileges that can initiate sleep transitions
Enforce hardened firmware update policies to ensure timely deployment of vendor BIOS/UEFI releases

bash

# Disable S3 suspend on systemd-based Linux hosts as a temporary mitigation
sudo systemctl mask sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target

# Verify the targets are masked
systemctl status sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target