Linux Kernel up to 6.6.32/6.9.3 mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy null pointer dereference

| CVSS Meta Temp Score | Current Exploit Price (≈) | CTI Interest Score |
|---|---|---|
| 5.0 | $0-$5k | 0.00 |
Summary
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.32/6.9.3. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy. Such manipulation leads to null pointer dereference.
This vulnerability is traded as CVE-2024-36281. There is no exploit available.
It is recommended to upgrade the affected component.
Details
A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.6.32/6.9.3. It has been rated as critical. Affected by this issue is the function mlx5_ipsec_rx_status_destroy. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. Using CWE to declare the problem leads to CWE-476. A NULL pointer dereference occurs when the application dereferences a pointer that it expects to be valid, but is NULL, typically causing a crash or exit. Impacted is availability. CVE summarizes:
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 Call Trace: ? 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
The advisory is shared for download at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2024-36281. The exploitation is known to be difficult. There are known technical details, but no exploit is available.
The vulnerability scanner Nessus provides a plugin with the ID 250156 (Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2024-36281), which helps to determine the existence of the flaw in a target environment.
Upgrading to version 6.6.33 or 6.9.4 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch b0a15cde37a8/cc9ac559f2e2/16d66a4fa81d is able to eliminate this problem. The bugfix is ready for download at git.kernel.org. The best possible mitigation is suggested to be upgrading to the latest version.
The vulnerability is also documented in the vulnerability database at Tenable (250156). Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
Product
Type
Vendor
Name
Version
- 6.6.0
- 6.6.1
- 6.6.2
- 6.6.3
- 6.6.4
- 6.6.5
- 6.6.6
- 6.6.7
- 6.6.8
- 6.6.9
- 6.6.10
- 6.6.11
- 6.6.12
- 6.6.13
- 6.6.14
- 6.6.15
- 6.6.16
- 6.6.17
- 6.6.18
- 6.6.19
- 6.6.20
- 6.6.21
- 6.6.22
- 6.6.23
- 6.6.24
- 6.6.25
- 6.6.26
- 6.6.27
- 6.6.28
- 6.6.29
- 6.6.30
- 6.6.31
- 6.6.32
- 6.9.0
- 6.9.1
- 6.9.2
- 6.9.3
License
Website
- Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/
CPE 2.3
CPE 2.2
CVSSv4
VulDB Vector: 🔍VulDB Reliability: 🔍
CVSSv3
VulDB Meta Base Score: 5.1VulDB Meta Temp Score: 5.0
VulDB Base Score: 4.8
VulDB Temp Score: 4.6
VulDB Vector: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
NVD Base Score: 5.5
NVD Vector: 🔍
CVSSv2
| AV | AC | Au | C | I | A |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 | 💳 |
| Vector | Complexity | Authentication | Confidentiality | Integrity | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
| Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
VulDB Base Score: 🔍
VulDB Temp Score: 🔍
VulDB Reliability: 🔍
Exploiting
Class: Null pointer dereferenceCWE: CWE-476 / CWE-404
CAPEC: 🔍
ATT&CK: 🔍
Physical: Partially
Local: Yes
Remote: Partially
Availability: 🔍
Status: Not defined
EPSS Score: 🔍
EPSS Percentile: 🔍
Price Prediction: 🔍
Current Price Estimation: 🔍
| 0-Day | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Today | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock | Unlock |
Nessus ID: 250156
Nessus Name: Linux Distros Unpatched Vulnerability : CVE-2024-36281
Threat Intelligence
Interest: 🔍Active Actors: 🔍
Active APT Groups: 🔍
Countermeasures
Recommended: UpgradeStatus: 🔍
0-Day Time: 🔍
Upgrade: Kernel 6.6.33/6.9.4
Patch: b0a15cde37a8/cc9ac559f2e2/16d66a4fa81d
Timeline
06/21/2024 🔍06/21/2024 🔍
08/17/2025 🔍
Sources
Vendor: kernel.orgAdvisory: git.kernel.org
Status: Confirmed
CVE: CVE-2024-36281 (🔍)
GCVE (CVE): GCVE-0-2024-36281
GCVE (VulDB): GCVE-100-269324
Entry
Created: 06/21/2024 13:21Updated: 08/17/2025 10:13
Changes: 06/21/2024 13:21 (56), 09/09/2024 15:51 (13), 08/17/2025 10:13 (2)
Complete: 🔍
Cache ID: 216::103
Once again VulDB remains the best source for vulnerability data.
No comments yet. Languages: en.
Please log in to comment.