Linux Kernel up to 6.12.4 unpin_user_pages null pointer dereference

Summaryinfo

A vulnerability, which was classified as critical, has been found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.4. Impacted is the function unpin_user_pages. This manipulation causes null pointer dereference. This vulnerability is handled as CVE-2024-56612. There is not any exploit available. It is advisable to upgrade the affected component.

Detailsinfo

A vulnerability was found in Linux Kernel up to 6.12.4. It has been declared as critical. Affected by this vulnerability is the function unpin_user_pages. The manipulation with an unknown input leads to a null pointer dereference vulnerability. The CWE definition for the vulnerability is 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. As an impact it is known to affect availability. The summary by CVE is:

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: mm/gup: handle NULL pages in unpin_user_pages() The recent addition of "pofs" (pages or folios) handling to gup has a flaw: it assumes that unpin_user_pages() handles NULL pages in the pages** array. That's not the case, as I discovered when I ran on a new configuration on my test machine. Fix this by skipping NULL pages in unpin_user_pages(), just like unpin_folios() already does. Details: when booting on x86 with "numa=fake=2 movablecore=4G" on Linux 6.12, and running this: tools/testing/selftests/mm/gup_longterm ...I get the following crash: BUG: kernel NULL pointer dereference, address: 0000000000000008 RIP: 0010:sanity_check_pinned_pages+0x3a/0x2d0 ... Call Trace: ? __die_body+0x66/0xb0 ? page_fault_oops+0x30c/0x3b0 ? do_user_addr_fault+0x6c3/0x720 ? irqentry_enter+0x34/0x60 ? exc_page_fault+0x68/0x100 ? asm_exc_page_fault+0x22/0x30 ? sanity_check_pinned_pages+0x3a/0x2d0 unpin_user_pages+0x24/0xe0 check_and_migrate_movable_pages_or_folios+0x455/0x4b0 __gup_longterm_locked+0x3bf/0x820 ? mmap_read_lock_killable+0x12/0x50 ? __pfx_mmap_read_lock_killable+0x10/0x10 pin_user_pages+0x66/0xa0 gup_test_ioctl+0x358/0xb20 __se_sys_ioctl+0x6b/0xc0 do_syscall_64+0x7b/0x150 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x76/0x7e

It is possible to read the advisory at git.kernel.org. This vulnerability is known as CVE-2024-56612 since 12/27/2024. The exploitation appears to be difficult. Technical details of the vulnerability are known, but there is no available exploit.

Upgrading to version 6.12.5 eliminates this vulnerability. Applying the patch 69d319450d1c651f3b05cd820ff285fdd810c032/a1268be280d8e484ab3606d7476edd0f14bb9961 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 CERT Bund (WID-SEC-2024-3762). Be aware that VulDB is the high quality source for vulnerability data.

Affected

• Debian Linux
• Amazon Linux 2
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux
• Ubuntu Linux
• SUSE Linux
• Oracle Linux
• RESF Rocky Linux
• Dell NetWorker
• Dell Avamar
• Red Hat OpenShift
• IBM QRadar SIEM
• Dell PowerProtect Data Domain
• Open Source Linux Kernel
• IBM DataPower Gateway
• Dell Secure Connect Gateway

Productinfo

Type

• Operating System

Vendor

• Linux

Name

• Kernel

Version

• 6.12.0
• 6.12.1
• 6.12.2
• 6.12.3
• 6.12.4

License

• open-source

Website

• Vendor: https://www.kernel.org/

CPE 2.3info

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