CVE-2024-36281: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Use mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy to correctly delete status rules rx_create no longer allocates a modify_hdr instance that needs to be cleaned up. The mlx5_modify_header_dealloc call will lead to a NULL pointer dereference. A leak in the rules also previously occurred since there are now two rules populated related to status. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 109907067 P4D 109907067 PUD 116890067 PMD 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 1 PID: 484 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.9.0-rc2-rrameshbabu+ #254 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS Arch Linux 1.16.3-1-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x60/0x70 ? __die+0x24/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15f/0x430 ? free_to_partial_list.constprop.0+0x79/0x150 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x2c9/0x5c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x63/0x110 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x27/0x30 ? mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 rx_create+0x374/0x590 rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? mlx5_cmd_exec+0x2c/0x40 ? mlx5_create_ipsec_obj+0xd6/0x200 mlx5e_accel_ipsec_fs_add_rule+0x31/0xf0 mlx5e_xfrm_add_state+0x426/0xc00 <snip>

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CVSS v3.1 Score

5.5

MEDIUM

CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H

Weakness Type (CWE)

CWE-476 CWE-476

Affected Products

Vendor	Product	Versions
linux	linux_kernel	6.6.8 — 6.6.33
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.9.4
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/16d66a4fa81da07bc4ed19f4e53b87263c2f8d38 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0a15cde37a8388e57573686f650a17208ae1212 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc9ac559f2e21894c21ac5b0c85fb24a5cab266c https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/16d66a4fa81da07bc4ed19f4e53b87263c2f8d38 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b0a15cde37a8388e57573686f650a17208ae1212 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc9ac559f2e21894c21ac5b0c85fb24a5cab266c

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-36281? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: Use mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy to correctly delete status rules rx_create no longer allocates a modify_hdr instance that needs to be cleaned up. The mlx5_modify_header_dealloc call will lead to a NULL pointer dereference. A leak in the rules also previously occurred since there are now two rules populated related to status. BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 #PF: supervisor read access in kernel mode #PF: error_code(0x0000) - not-present page PGD 109907067 P4D 109907067 PUD 116890067 PMD 0 Oops: 0000 [#1] SMP CPU: 1 PID: 484 Comm: ip Not tainted 6.9.0-rc2-rrameshbabu+ #254 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS Arch Linux 1.16.3-1-1 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 <snip> Call Trace: <TASK> ? show_regs+0x60/0x70 ? __die+0x24/0x70 ? page_fault_oops+0x15f/0x430 ? free_to_partial_list.constprop.0+0x79/0x150 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x2c9/0x5c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x63/0x110 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x27/0x30 ? mlx5_modify_header_dealloc+0xd/0x70 rx_create+0x374/0x590 rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? rx_add_rule+0x3ad/0x500 ? mlx5_cmd_exec+0x2c/0x40 ? mlx5_create_ipsec_obj+0xd6/0x200 mlx5e_accel_ipsec_fs_add_rule+0x31/0xf0 mlx5e_xfrm_add_state+0x426/0xc00 <snip> It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-36281? +

CVE-2024-36281 has a CVSS v3.1 score of 5.5 out of 10, rated MEDIUM. This is a medium-severity vulnerability that should be remediated as part of regular maintenance.

What products are affected by CVE-2024-36281? +

CVE-2024-36281 affects products from linux, specifically: linux_kernel. Check the affected products table above for specific version ranges.

How do I check if I'm vulnerable to CVE-2024-36281? +

You can use Secably's free Website Scanner to check your website for known vulnerabilities. For infrastructure scanning, use the Port Scanner to identify exposed services that may be affected. Check the vendor advisories linked above for specific patch and version information.

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