Linux
CVE-2024-38608
MEDIUM
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A10:2025 - Mishandling of Exceptional Conditions
ASVS 5.0
V16 - Security Logging and Error Handling Null pointer safety, defensive checks
MITRE ATT&CK
1 technique across 1 tactic: Impact The technique list with ATT&CK links and the kill-chain view is part of the Basic plan and up. |
| Impact | CVSS score of 5.5 (MEDIUM). Attack characteristics: local attack vector, low complexity, low privileges required, no user interaction not required. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | A local attacker with access to the system could crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. |
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Alert meAnalysisAI
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix netif state handling mlx5e_suspend cleans resources only if netif_device_present() returns true. Rated medium severity (CVSS 5.5), this vulnerability is low attack complexity. This NULL Pointer Dereference vulnerability could allow attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer.
RemediationAI
A vendor patch is available. Apply the latest security update as soon as possible. Check pointers before dereferencing. Use static analysis tools to detect null pointer paths.
Affects your stack
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Checking this CVE against your own stacks and servers is part of the Basic plan and up.
Technical ContextAI · show details
This vulnerability is classified as NULL Pointer Dereference (CWE-476), which allows attackers to crash the application by dereferencing a null pointer. In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: net/mlx5e: Fix netif state handling mlx5e_suspend cleans resources only if netif_device_present() returns true. However, mlx5e_resume changes the state of netif, via mlx5e_nic_enable, only if reg_state == NETREG_REGISTERED. In the below case, the above leads to NULL-ptr Oops[1] and memory leaks: mlx5e_probe _mlx5e_resume mlx5e_attach_netdev mlx5e_nic_enable <-- netdev not reg, not calling netif_device_attach() register_netdev <-- failed for some reason. ERROR_FLOW: _mlx5e_suspend <-- netif_device_present return false, resources aren't freed :( Hence, clean resources in this case as well. [1] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0010 [#1] SMP CPU: 2 PID: 9345 Comm: test-ovs-ct-gen Not tainted 6.5.0_for_upstream_min_debug_2023_09_05_16_01 #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:0x0 Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at0xffffffffffffffd6. RSP: 0018:ffff888178aaf758 EFLAGS: 00010246 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x20/0x60 ? page_fault_oops+0x14c/0x3c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x75/0x140 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 notifier_call_chain+0x35/0xb0 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3d/0x60 mlx5_blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x22/0x30 [mlx5_core] mlx5_core_uplink_netdev_event_replay+0x3e/0x60 [mlx5_core] mlx5_mdev_netdev_track+0x53/0x60 [mlx5_ib] mlx5_ib_roce_init+0xc3/0x340 [mlx5_ib] __mlx5_ib_add+0x34/0xd0 [mlx5_ib] mlx5r_probe+0xe1/0x210 [mlx5_ib] ? auxiliary_match_id+0x6a/0x90 auxiliary_bus_probe+0x38/0x80 ? driver_sysfs_add+0x51/0x80 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 bus_probe_device+0x86/0xa0 device_add+0x637/0x840 __auxiliary_device_add+0x3b/0xa0 add_adev+0xc9/0x140 [mlx5_core] mlx5_rescan_drivers_locked+0x22a/0x310 [mlx5_core] mlx5_register_device+0x53/0xa0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one_devl_locked+0x5c4/0x9c0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one+0x3b/0x60 [mlx5_core] probe_one+0x44c/0x730 [mlx5_core] local_pci_probe+0x3e/0x90 pci_device_probe+0xbf/0x210 ? kernfs_create_link+0x5d/0xa0 ? sysfs_do_create_link_sd+0x60/0xc0 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 pci_bus_add_device+0x54/0x80 pci_iov_add_virtfn+0x2e6/0x320 sriov_enable+0x208/0x420 mlx5_core_sriov_configure+0x9e/0x200 [mlx5_core] sriov_numvfs_store+0xae/0x1a0 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x10c/0x1a0 vfs_write+0x291/0x3c0 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x3d/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 CR2: 0000000000000000 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]--- Affected products include: Linux Linux Kernel.
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Severity by source
AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Primary rating from NVD · only source for this CVE.
CVSS VectorNVD
DescriptionNVD
In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved:
net/mlx5e: Fix netif state handling
mlx5e_suspend cleans resources only if netif_device_present() returns true. However, mlx5e_resume changes the state of netif, via mlx5e_nic_enable, only if reg_state == NETREG_REGISTERED. In the below case, the above leads to NULL-ptr Oops[1] and memory leaks:
mlx5e_probe _mlx5e_resume mlx5e_attach_netdev mlx5e_nic_enable <-- netdev not reg, not calling netif_device_attach() register_netdev <-- failed for some reason. ERROR_FLOW: _mlx5e_suspend <-- netif_device_present return false, resources aren't freed :(
Hence, clean resources in this case as well.
[1] BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000000 PGD 0 P4D 0 Oops: 0010 [#1] SMP CPU: 2 PID: 9345 Comm: test-ovs-ct-gen Not tainted 6.5.0_for_upstream_min_debug_2023_09_05_16_01 #1 Hardware name: QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009), BIOS rel-1.13.0-0-gf21b5a4aeb02-prebuilt.qemu.org 04/01/2014 RIP: 0010:0x0 Code: Unable to access opcode bytes at0xffffffffffffffd6. RSP: 0018:ffff888178aaf758 EFLAGS: 00010246 Call Trace: <TASK> ? __die+0x20/0x60 ? page_fault_oops+0x14c/0x3c0 ? exc_page_fault+0x75/0x140 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 notifier_call_chain+0x35/0xb0 blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x3d/0x60 mlx5_blocking_notifier_call_chain+0x22/0x30 [mlx5_core] mlx5_core_uplink_netdev_event_replay+0x3e/0x60 [mlx5_core] mlx5_mdev_netdev_track+0x53/0x60 [mlx5_ib] mlx5_ib_roce_init+0xc3/0x340 [mlx5_ib] __mlx5_ib_add+0x34/0xd0 [mlx5_ib] mlx5r_probe+0xe1/0x210 [mlx5_ib] ? auxiliary_match_id+0x6a/0x90 auxiliary_bus_probe+0x38/0x80 ? driver_sysfs_add+0x51/0x80 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 bus_probe_device+0x86/0xa0 device_add+0x637/0x840 __auxiliary_device_add+0x3b/0xa0 add_adev+0xc9/0x140 [mlx5_core] mlx5_rescan_drivers_locked+0x22a/0x310 [mlx5_core] mlx5_register_device+0x53/0xa0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one_devl_locked+0x5c4/0x9c0 [mlx5_core] mlx5_init_one+0x3b/0x60 [mlx5_core] probe_one+0x44c/0x730 [mlx5_core] local_pci_probe+0x3e/0x90 pci_device_probe+0xbf/0x210 ? kernfs_create_link+0x5d/0xa0 ? sysfs_do_create_link_sd+0x60/0xc0 really_probe+0xc9/0x3e0 ? driver_probe_device+0x90/0x90 __driver_probe_device+0x80/0x160 driver_probe_device+0x1e/0x90 __device_attach_driver+0x7d/0x100 bus_for_each_drv+0x80/0xd0 __device_attach+0xbc/0x1f0 pci_bus_add_device+0x54/0x80 pci_iov_add_virtfn+0x2e6/0x320 sriov_enable+0x208/0x420 mlx5_core_sriov_configure+0x9e/0x200 [mlx5_core] sriov_numvfs_store+0xae/0x1a0 kernfs_fop_write_iter+0x10c/0x1a0 vfs_write+0x291/0x3c0 ksys_write+0x5f/0xe0 do_syscall_64+0x3d/0x90 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x46/0xb0 CR2: 0000000000000000 ---[ end trace 0000000000000000 ]---
Threat Intelligence Overview
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
VulDB
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
A null pointer dereference occurs when a program attempts to access memory through a pointer that has been set to NULL (address 0x0).
Denial of Service attacks render applications or systems unavailable by overwhelming resources or triggering failure conditions.
GitHub PoC
Exploit-DB