CVE-2024-48881: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bcache: revert replacing IS_ERR_OR_NULL with IS_ERR again Commit 028ddcac477b ("bcache: Remove unnecessary NULL point check in node allocations") leads a NULL pointer deference in cache_set_flush(). 1721 if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(c->root)) 1722 list_add(&c->root->list, &c->btree_cache); >From the above code in cache_set_flush(), if previous registration code fails before allocating c->root, it is possible c->root is NULL as what it is initialized. __bch_btree_node_alloc() never returns NULL but c->root is possible to be NULL at above line 1721. This patch replaces IS_ERR() by IS_ERR_OR_NULL() to fix this.

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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	4.19.291 — 4.20
linux	linux_kernel	5.4.251 — 5.4.287
linux	linux_kernel	5.10.188 — 5.10.231
linux	linux_kernel	5.15.121 — 5.15.174
linux	linux_kernel	6.1.39 — 6.1.120
linux	linux_kernel	6.4.4 — 6.6.66
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.12.5
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/336e30f32ae7c043fde0f6fa21586ff30bea9fe2 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/4379c5828492a4c2a651c8f826a01453bd2b80b0 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5202391970ffbf81975251b3526b890ba027b715 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/5e0e913624bcd24f3de414475018d3023f060ee1 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b2e382ae12a63560fca35050498e19e760adf8c0 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cc05aa2c0117e20fa25a3c0d915f98b8f2e78667 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/fb5fee35bdd18316a84b5f30881a24e1415e1464

Other References

https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00001.html https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00002.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-48881? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: bcache: revert replacing IS_ERR_OR_NULL with IS_ERR again Commit 028ddcac477b ("bcache: Remove unnecessary NULL point check in node allocations") leads a NULL pointer deference in cache_set_flush(). 1721 if (!IS_ERR_OR_NULL(c->root)) 1722 list_add(&c->root->list, &c->btree_cache); >From the above code in cache_set_flush(), if previous registration code fails before allocating c->root, it is possible c->root is NULL as what it is initialized. __bch_btree_node_alloc() never returns NULL but c->root is possible to be NULL at above line 1721. This patch replaces IS_ERR() by IS_ERR_OR_NULL() to fix this. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-48881? +

CVE-2024-48881 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-2024-48881? +

CVE-2024-48881 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-2024-48881? +

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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