CVE-2024-56660: linux kernel Null Dereference — Fix

Description

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: DR, prevent potential error pointer dereference The dr_domain_add_vport_cap() function generally returns NULL on error but sometimes we want it to return ERR_PTR(-EBUSY) so the caller can retry. The problem here is that "ret" can be either -EBUSY or -ENOMEM and if it's and -ENOMEM then the error pointer is propogated back and eventually dereferenced in dr_ste_v0_build_src_gvmi_qpn_tag().

Is your site exposed to CVE-2024-56660?

Run a free security scan — no signup, results in seconds.

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	5.16 — 6.1.121
linux	linux_kernel	6.2 — 6.6.67
linux	linux_kernel	6.7 — 6.12.6
linux	linux_kernel	All
linux	linux_kernel	All

References

Advisories & Patches

https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/11776cff0b563c8b8a4fa76cab620bfb633a8cb8 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/325cf73a1b449fea3158ab99d03a7a717aad1618 https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/61f720e801443d4e2a3c0261eda4ad8431458dca https://git.kernel.org/stable/c/a59c61a1869ceefc65ef02886f91e8cd0062211f

Other References

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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CVE-2024-56660? +

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5: DR, prevent potential error pointer dereference The dr_domain_add_vport_cap() function generally returns NULL on error but sometimes we want it to return ERR_PTR(-EBUSY) so the caller can retry. The problem here is that "ret" can be either -EBUSY or -ENOMEM and if it's and -ENOMEM then the error pointer is propogated back and eventually dereferenced in dr_ste_v0_build_src_gvmi_qpn_tag(). It has a CVSS v3.1 base score of 5.5 (MEDIUM).

How severe is CVE-2024-56660? +

CVE-2024-56660 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-2024-56660? +

CVE-2024-56660 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-2024-56660? +

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.

Related Vulnerabilities

CVE-2026-8479

IEC 60870-5-104 used in bidirectional mode in RTU500 is vulnerable for a NULL pointer dereferencing, if a specially crafted sequence …

CVE-2025-24031

PAM-PKCS#11 is a Linux-PAM login module that allows a X.509 certificate based user login. In versions 0.6.12 and prior, the …

CVE-2025-31115

XZ Utils provide a general-purpose data-compression library plus command-line tools. In XZ Utils 5.3.3alpha to 5.8.0, the multithreaded .xz decoder …

CVE-2025-0121

A null pointer dereference vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks Cortex® XDR agent on Windows devices allows a low-privileged local …

CVE-2023-45925

GNU Midnight Commander 4.8.29-146-g299d9a2fb was discovered to contain a NULL pointer dereference via the function x_error_handler() at tty/x11conn.c. NOTE: this …

CVE-2025-6398

A null pointer dereference vulnerability exists in the IOMap64.sys driver of ASUS AI Suite 3. The vulnerability can be triggered …

CVE-2024-56660