CVE-2024-53131: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref in block_touch_buffer tracepoint Patch series "nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref bugs on block tracepoints". This series fixes null pointer dereference bugs that occur when using nilfs2 and two block-related tracepoints. This patch (of 2): It has been reported that when using "block:block_touch_buffer" tracepoint, touch_buffer() called from __nilfs_get_folio_block() causes a NULL pointer dereference, or a general protection fault when KASAN is enabled. This happens because since the tracepoint was added in touch_buffer(), it references the dev_t member bh->b_bdev->bd_dev regardless of whether the buffer head has a pointer to a block_device structure. In the current implementation, the block_device structure is set after the function returns to the caller. Here, touch_buffer() is used to mark the folio/page that owns the buffer head as accessed, but the common search helper for folio/page used by the caller function was optimized to mark the folio/page as accessed when it was reimplemented a long time ago, eliminating the need to call touch_buffer() here in the first place. So this solves the issue by eliminating the touch_buffer() call itself.

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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	3.9 — 6.1.119
linux	linux_kernel	6.6.0 — 6.6.63
linux	linux_kernel	6.11.0 — 6.11.10

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/085556bf8c70e2629e02e79268dac3016a08b8bf https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/3b2a4fd9bbee77afdd3ed5a05a0c02b6cde8d3b9 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/59b49ca67cca7b007a5afd3de0283c8008157665 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/77e47f89d32c2d72eb33d0becbce7abe14d061f4 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/cd45e963e44b0f10d90b9e6c0e8b4f47f3c92471

Other References

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/19c71cdd77973f99a9adc3190130bc3aa7ae5423 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/6438f3f42cda825f6f59b4e45ac3a1da28a6f2c9 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/b017697a517f8779ada4e8ce1c2c75dbf60a2636 https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/01/msg00001.html https://lists.debian.org/debian-lts-announce/2025/03/msg00002.html

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-53131? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref in block_touch_buffer tracepoint Patch series "nilfs2: fix null-ptr-deref bugs on block tracepoints". This series fixes null pointer dereference bugs that occur when using nilfs2 and two block-related tracepoints. This patch (of 2): It has been reported that when using "block:block_touch_buffer" tracepoint, touch_buffer() called from __nilfs_get_folio_block() causes a NULL pointer dereference, or a general protection fault when KASAN is enabled. This happens because since the tracepoint was added in touch_buffer(), it references the dev_t member bh->b_bdev->bd_dev regardless of whether the buffer head has a pointer to a block_device structure. In the current implementation, the block_device structure is set after the function returns to the caller. Here, touch_buffer() is used to mark the folio/page that owns the buffer head as accessed, but the common search helper for folio/page used by the caller function was optimized to mark the folio/page as accessed when it was reimplemented a long time ago, eliminating the need to call touch_buffer() here in the first place. So this solves the issue by eliminating the touch_buffer() call itself. It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-53131? +

CVE-2024-53131 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-2024-53131? +

CVE-2024-53131 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-2024-53131? +

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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CVE-2024-53131